A Visit to the Sand (sequel to Birthday Present (BP))
by DJand4
Summary: Sakura goes to the Sand village. Ino decides to join her. It's part vacation/part business. Gaara had invited Sakura to the opening of the Lady Chiyo Institute. Sakura, however, has an ulterior motive. She wants to discover more about her new chakra dart. This story takes place a few months after BP and after the Shikamaru Hidan.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Kankuro came in as Gaara was finishing up some paperwork.

"Hey little bro, need some help with anything before I take off?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara looked up uncomprehendingly. He was a very focused individual. When he was reading, he became so engrossed that he couldn't listen. Therefore he looked up at Kankuro not having heard a thing he said.

Kankuro smiled knowingly. Everyone knew that Gaara was like that so he repeated his question.

Gaara made a grunt and started to go back to another missive he had received, when he suddenly remembered something.

"Kankuro wait!" He instructed in his low gravelly voice. He shuffled through some papers on the side counter. "Here it is!" He said to himself when he found it. He turned and presented his older brother with a gold envelope.

Kankuro took it carefully and looked at it, "Uh what is it?"

Gaara shrugged. " I got invited to some party but it's not really my thing. Maybe you can go in my place."

Kankuro opened up the envelope and pulled out a sparkling invite that was shaped like a bee.

"You must be joking! You got an invite to the Bachi! Tonight! For their grand opening and you are on the fifth floor!" Kankuro's mouth was so wide open in shock that if the invite had grown wings it could have easily buzzed inside.

The latest nightclub was called Bachi. It was in the shape of a bee hive with several levels spiraling up with a open dance floor at the bottom. The bar made up the entire second floor. The third and fourth floors had tables and booths for groups to sit back and rest before going down to the bottom floor to dance. The fifth floor was reserved for only the highest paid customers. It provided views down onto all the floors as well as access to the balcony above to view the desert night sky.

Gaara looked at his big brother curiously, "So does that mean that you don't mind going?"

"Don't mind going?! Are you kidding me?! That place has been booked for weeks. I heard some of the guys talking about. Hey this invite is for you plus one. I'll be your plus one and we'll go together."

"Oh no!" Gaara put out his hands as if to fend the offer off physically. "I don't like social gatherings much as it is and that place sounds like it will be packed. No thank you! Besides I still have a ton of work to do. Lady Chiyo's Institute of Toxicology grand opening is in less than a week. Visitors from all the nations will be sending representatives. I need to still put the final touches on my welcoming speech."

Kankuro walked over to his younger brother and put his hands on either side of his shoulders to keep him from walking away.

"Man, don't make me beg! This is the hottest club right now! Come and be my wing man! Please!" Then Kankuro went down to his knees still holding on to Gaara's shoulders.

"Please!" He cried again.

Gaara looked up to the ceiling and sighed, "Fine I'll go but what is a wing man?"

Kankuro jumped up suddenly and slapped Gaara on the arm, rocking him a bit off balance.

"Heh heh! Knew that would work! Gotta go little bro and get dressed. You better change too. Pick you up at your place in an hour okay! Thanks!" With that Kankuro walked briskly out of the office. If he heard Gaara's uttered question of 'Wing man?', he didn't show any indication.

::

Kankuro showed up at Gaara's door precisely an hour later. He was wearing a white long sleeve shirt that was open almost halfway down his chest. He had rolled up both sleeves and wore distinctive black leather wrist bands that circled up to his mid forearms. He had washed off all his facial paint that he normally wore during work hours. His hair was still damp from his bath but he had spiked it out in the latest style. He had on tight black pants and black boots adorned with silver chains.

When Gaara opened his door, Kankuro took one look at his little brother's high buttoned crimson shirt and pants that he always wore. The monotony was only broken by a leather belt where he hung a flask of sand that he took with him wherever he went. Kankuro shook his head and steered him back to his closet.

"No, no, no! You cannot go clubbing in that!"

"I don't see why not." Gaara countered, "These clothes are very comfortable and the color suits me, or so I've been told."

Kankuro looked at Gaara with a look of speculation, "Uh yeah…no, not wearing that tonight. Let me take a look at your closet."

Kankuro walked past Gaara and into his bedroom. Everything was completely in order. No dirty clothes or towel or scrolls out of place. Kankuro rolled his eyes at his brother's obsession with order. He strolled over to the closet doors and swung them out wide. His eyes couldn't help but bulge. The entire wardrobe was filled with the same colored shirts and pants.

"What the hell?" Kankuro couldn't help but utter.

Gaara, who had followed him into the room, said, "Like I said the color and style suit me so I decided to buy the whole line."

Kankuro shook his head, "What happened to the black shirt Temari got you for your birthday last year?"

Gaara looked thoughtful for a minute, "Well you see it didn't quite go with the theme of my closet…"

Kankuro looked at him in horror, "Don't say you threw it out! You know how much that shirt cost?!"

Gaara shook his head, "Of course I wouldn't toss a gift from my sister." He walked over to a chest of drawers at the other end of the room. "I always keep the things you give me." He said simply and after fumbling around a bit, produced it, "Here it is!"

Kankuro took two strides over to his brother and yanked the shirt from his hands. He fluffed it out a few times and then looked it over.

"Good! It's not too wrinkled. Okay take the one of a thousand that you have on, off. Put this one of a kind shirt on."

When Gaara did not make a motion to comply, Kankuro patted him on the back hard, sending Gaara flying a step or two forward.

"Come on! It's just for one night. Step out of your comfort zone! Be daring!" Kankuro said convincingly. When Gaara still did not move, he cried, "Please!"

"Okay, fine! Just don't laugh at me, okay?" And then couldn't help but add under his breath, "I hope no one else will laugh at me either." Gaara said as he started to change out of his traditional garb.

Kankuro looked at Gaara seriously, "Uh in case you forgot, you are the Kazekage, and on top of that, one bad ass ninja. Believe me, you could wear a clown suit and no one would laugh."

Gaara looked up at his older brother in confusion. He didn't know if Kankuro was making that up or not. He sighed and put on the black shirt. It was made of a soft silky material that seemed to hug his lithe body. The shirt had a v neck and long sleeve. It was also long so he had to remove his belt with the flask from his pants and put them back on over his shirt, hanging low on his hips.

Gaara looked in the mirror, "I feel silly!"

Kankuro stood back and gave a whistle, "Trust me, bro, you look good! Now let's go clubbing!"

He jumped up and clotheslined his brother, hurrying him out the door.

::

By the time they arrived at the block where the club was located, there was a line of people to get in at least halfway down.

Gaara looked at the approaching line in dismay, "Looks like we will have a long wait."

Kankuro laughed and put his hands on Gaara's shoulders in excitement. "Not with your ticket, bro! We are on the list! So we bypass the line!"

"Bypass the line? Is that fair?" Gaara asked as he looked apologetically to the people in line as they passed them.

They got to the door and saw a large fellow with a clipboard in his hand. As they walked up to the door of the club. Two girls were dressed up and seemed to be waiting. One of the girls saw Gaara and squealed, tapping her friend on the shoulder. Her friend looked over at Gaara and said "Hot!", with an awed expression on her face.

Gaara turned and looked at her seriously, "I thought it was a bit cool tonight."

Kankuro chuckled, "She's not talking about the weather, Gaara!"

Gaara looked back at his brother and shrugged. He didn't get what was so funny. He turned to the large man with the clipboard and began to show the invite and announce himself, but the big man stopped him by bowing.

"Lord Kazikage, we are honored by your presence. Please come in. I'll make sure that the fifth floor is ready for you."

Kankuro practically shoved Gaara into the noisy, strobe lit hotly packed club.

Once they entered, Gaara had to yell to be heard, "Now I know why that girl said it was hot!"

Kankuro shook his head at his brother and tapped his ears. Gaara had to repeat himself two more times before Kankuro understood him. When he finally did he roared with laughter. Gaara still didn't quite get the joke. He noticed that people did seem to be making a wide berth for him despite the large crush of people. He figured that they were perhaps nervous about him being there. He tried to smile to show them that he meant no harm. A man hurried up to them and bowed.

"Lord Kazekage! We are so honored. Please sir let me lead you up to the fifth floor." He was about to agree when Kankuro put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I think my brother and I will hang out here for the time being. What's up there?" He pointed to the circular balconies that made a circumference around each floor and overlooked the dance arena in the center.

The man smiled. "Oh yes let me give you a tour of the facility." Gaara was about to comply when again Kankuro stepped in, "That won't be necessary. We can just mingle for now."

The man bowed slightly in acquiescence and added, "Very well. The second floor is the bar area, the third and fourth floors are seating, and of course as you can see this floor is the main entertainment. When you are ready, make your way up to the fifth floor."

Gaara thanked the man though he wasn't sure that the man heard. Kankuro was pushing him towards the flight of stairs leading up to the second floor.

Gaara looked around, a bit embarrassed by some of the activities that were going on on the floor. Kankuro took the lead and led Gaara up a flight of stairs to the bar area. It was less noisy but not by much.

Gaara turned to Kankuro and said with censor in his voice, "You were rude to that man."

Kankuro shrugged and made his way up to the bar and came back with four drinks in his hands.

"Hopefully one of those is non-alcoholic." Gaara said with a raised eyebrow. Everyone knew that he didn't care for alcohol.

"Relax, bro, I got you a water!" Kankuro said with a grin.

Gaara looked at the remaining glasses in his hand.

"Here, take yours! And this one!" He thrusts the two glasses into Gaara's hands.

"Okay…are they both water?!" Gaara asked incomprehensibly.

"No Gaara." Kankuro said as if he were speaking to a child, "This one in the regular glass is yours." He clinked it with one of his glasses for emphasis. "The other in the wine glass is for that girl over there." He walked over to the balcony and gestured with one of his wine glasses across the atrium up to the third floor.

Gaara couldn't believe his eyes. He'd know that pink hair anywhere, "What is she doing here?" He asked.

"I know! I couldn't believe it either! They must have gotten into the village a few days early before the grand opening." The grand opening of Lady Chiyo's Institute for Toxicology would be open for touring in three days. They had invited representatives from all nations. Candidates from each nation would be considered and providing that they had sponsorship from their villages, could attend.

Kankuro edged Gaara with his elbow, "Come on! Now's my chance! I've had the hots for her since the Chunin exams."

Gaara stopped suddenly, almost causing Kankuro to crash into him, "Sakura?" He said incredulously.

Kankuro laughed behind him, "Are you kidding me? Ino, of course! Didn't you see her in that red sequined dress? Man, what I wouldn't give to be the guy that that girl goes home with." Gaara closed his eyes and then let out a breath that he didn't know he had held and began walking again to the spiral staircase that would lead them up to the third floor.

He looked back up at the girls. Funny, he hadn't even noticed Ino when he looked up before. Now she was quite obviously present with her red dress.

As they walked up, Kankuro kept talking, "Remember, you are my wing man, ok?"

Gaara turned his head to yell over his shoulder so that his brother would hear him. "You never really explained what a wing man does!"

"Gaara, you are hopeless! Just make me look good. You know, talk about my good qualities!"

Gaara gave a slight nod and let Kankuro take the lead once they reached the landing.

Talk about his good qualities. Gaara kept repeating the phrase until they got to the table.

Kankuro reached the girl's table first. There were several guys around them but they all stepped back and seemed to lose interest when the two brothers arrived. Kankuro set one of his glasses down in front of Ino and said, "I noticed that you looked thirsty." He said in his deepest voice.

Ino looked down at the table where there was already 5 glasses full in front of her.

"Um, thanks, I guess." She replied.

Kankuro recognized his error and gave an embarrasses cough and elbowed Gaara. Gaara who was looking at Sakura while still holding his two glasses, said dryly, "Oh sorry, I got this one for you."

He set it down next to the three full glasses in front of her. Sakura laughed, "Hah Ino! I'm catching up to you!" She joked.

Ino stuck out her tongue at her friend and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Kankuro could only stare awestruck at the blonde goddess in front of him.

Meanwhile, Gaara asked Sakura politely, "Do you mind if we join you?"

Sakura laughed, "Not at all."

The brothers sat down. Kankuro flashed Gaara a big grin and again elbowed him in the ribs.

Gaara sighed. He knew that he would have a bruise there tomorrow. Okay wing man duties, he thought, think of his brother's good qualities.

Gaara looked over at Ino and said loudly, "Did you know that Kankuro is the captain of our armed forces here in the Sand?"

Ino who was leaning back in her seat, leaned forward across the table to hear what Gaara said over all the noise. This caused her bust to be pulled into the cleft of her low cut dress. Kankuro who was sitting next to her had the best vantage point, he groaned audibly, as he took in the sight.

Gaara mistook his brother's groan for one of dislike. I must have said the wrong thing, he thought. Name more good qualities, he thought.

"He's really good with puppets!" He yelled out. Sakura who was sitting next to Gaara and could hear him just fine, stifled a laugh.

Ino, however, still could not hear so this time she leaned against Kankuro and put her hand on his thigh. Kankuro shifted uncomfortably and let out another groan as Ino was practically in his lap so that she could hear what Gaara was saying in his low voice.

Again Gaara mistook Kankuro's audible discomfort. I'm really not doing a good job here, he thought. He looked up at his brother face and then had an Aha moment.

He leaned right towards Ino. His face barely inches away from hers and yelled, "He's really good with makeup!"

Kankuro's face went from pleasurable agony to total shock. Ino leaned back and started to laugh. Sakura, who had heard it all, was gasping for air. Kankuro's face had gone totally red.

Ino leaned back over to Kankuro and said in a flirtatious voice, "I bet I'm better than you are!"

Gaara looked back over to her and yelled quite seriously, "No he's really good. Better than anyone, girls included. In fact he used to raid Temari's cosmetics all the time!" He yelled back. This put Sakura into even more stitches. Kankuro put up his hand to stop Gaara.

"Hey bro, uh thanks! I got it from here!" He placed his elbow on the table and rested his head on it to stare fully at Ino and also to effectively block Gaara.

Gaara shrugged and turned to Sakura, "I was only trying to help." He said simply.

Sakura laughed and leaned forward towards Gaara. She put her hand on the top of his and said, "I think you did just fine."

Gaara looked down at her hand which rested lightly on his. He absently grabbed the glass next to him. All this yelling was giving him a dry throat and a headache. He brought the glass and realized too late that it was the wine that he had brought for Sakura and not the water he had for himself. He tasted the fiery liquid and started coughing as he felt it make its way down his throat. Sakura jumped up and started patting him on the back.

"Are you okay?" She asked in concern. Gaara tried to answer but some of the wine had also caught in his windpipe so all he could do was cough. His normal placid skin had taken on a somewhat rosy hue and he was already beginning to sweat.

Kankuro and Ino couldn't help but notice the commotion as well as other onlookers. Kankuro realized what must have happened and yelled over to Sakura, "He must have had the wine by accident. He just needs some air." Kankuro took one side of Gaara and Sakura the other. They started moving through the crowd and down the stairs. Ino went out in front to clear the way. As they were exiting the staircase onto the bottom of the floor, they were met by the club host again.

"No, no!" He shouted. "Go up to the fifth floor!" He pointed upwards to indicate what he was saying and mimed 5 with his hand.

Ino looked back at Kankuro questionably. Kankuro shrugged and motioned for Ino to continue to the door.

"Sorry!" Kankuro yelled, "Kazekage emergency! Nice club though!" As he moved by the stunned little man and made his way towards the door.

They emptied out into the crowded street. Gaara was still coughing and his flushed face was actually turning a bit blue. Sakura placed her hand on his chest and closed her eyes and whispered, "Breathe!"

Gaara's breathing instantly became more regular and his skin color became its normal shade of white.

Gaara looked up into Sakura's smiling face and said, "Thank you, Sakura." As he straightened up he realized that her hand was still on his chest. He looked down at it and then up to her.

Sakura blushed, "The material of this shirt is really nice." She said and then removed her hand quickly.

"You really think so." Gaara said with a tilt of his head, fingering his shirt. Then Kankuro elbowed him again and said "Told ya!" With a big grin.

"Well ladies what do we do now?" Kankuro asked as he raised his arms up in a big demonstration of a yawn before bringing his one arm around Ino's slender waist and pulling her towards him.

Ino giggled and patted his chest before managing to slip out of his embrace. She grabbed hold of his hand and said, "Come on! If we hurry we can crash Shikamaru's and Temari's date at the noodle place down the road.

Kankuro held fast which made her stop short, "Orrrr…we could go back into the club. Gaara has a golden ticket to the fifth floor. We may never get this chance again." He said.

Sakura took Gaara's hand to steer him past the two, "We vote for noodles!" She looked over at Gaara, "Okay with you?"

Gaara allowed himself to be dragged away, "Uh yeah. I'm really hungry!" He realized suddenly that he was really hungry and not just saying that to be polite.

Ino put her free hand on Kankuro's chest and looked up at him through her lashes. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "Come on! Imagine the look on your sister's face when we all sit down at her romantically planned dinner for two?"

Kankuro smiled at the thought. He did like the idea of getting under Temari's skin. "Come on! Let's beat Gaara and Sakura there!" He added playfully.

Sakura gave a petite snort, "Not in this dress and heels!" She said shaking her head. She gave a whoop of laughter though when Kankuro picked her suddenly and cradled her in his arms. He passed Gaara and Sakura with ease. He enjoyed the sound of Ino's laughter in his ears and as she held on tight.

"Hey no fair!" Sakura called out as they passed up her and Gaara.

Gaara watched them go dispassionately and then thought maybe Sakura would like to be carried. Before he could finish his thought, he felt Sakura lift him up and start to run.

He felt like laughing, it was so comical. He slid a floating sand barge beneath the two of them.

Sakura put him down and said, "Wow! You are heavier than you look!"

Gaara looked at her very seriously and said, "It's the sand."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. Gaara actually felt his face lighten in an expression that he wasn't used to. Then he heard the sound of a hoarse chuckle. He realized, mildly incredulous, that he was laughing. Him, Gaara of the Sand, was laughing.

Sakura looked at him with the remnants of laughter still on her lips, "You really need to laugh more often Gaara. It makes you look, I don't know,…" She suddenly felt embarrassed. She wanted to say that he looked sexy but he was looking at her do intensely and the smile was slowly dying away. "Well it just looks good on you!" Was what she ended up saying instead.

He nodded and seemed satisfied. They jumped down from their floating sand barge right as Kankuro rounded the corner with Ino in his arms.

"No fair!" Kankuro yelled as he placed Ino back on her feet. Ino adjusted her dress and Sakura could tell that her friend looked flushed.

Ino shook her long blonde hair out of her face and peered into the small window of the noodle shop. "Well shall we go in?" She asked.

Kankuro opened the door for all of them as they entered the noodle shop. As it turned out they had indeed missed them by 15 minutes or so.

Ino turned and looked at the other three. "Well what do we do now?"

Sakura turned and looked at the others, "I vote that we stay here. I'm starving and it smells delicious."

Gaara agreed with Sakura, "Yes me too", he said simply.

Kankuro looked over at Ino, "I'm with you gorgeous, so whatever you want."

Ino pivoted around sending her long hair flailing to look at the hostess, "Looks like 4 for dinner please."

"Right this way!" She said with a smile.

::

Back in Bachi, the club manager was bowing profusely to a shadowed figure in the corner. There was only a tiny lamp lit on the other side of the room causing dancing shadows on the floor.

"I am so sorry! The Kazekage has left. I tried to get him up here. Several times in fact but he had his brother with him." The petite man made a face. "That Kankuro is so boarish! It's hard to believe that those two are blood related."

The shadowed man made no move towards the club manager.

"Well not all is lost. I needed to practice my new jutsu anyway." The shadowed man made a flick of his wrist. Shadows zoomed forward grabbing the man and holding him tight and then with a sudden crush of his hand, the shadows tighten, strangling the life out of him.

The shadowed man stood up and looked down at his hand, a wicked smile filled his face.

"Interesting! What a lovely little power to have."

::

 **Hello everyone! Hope you like the next installment. Don't forget to follow/fave or send a review. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Temari and Shikamaru slipped quietly out the back door of the noodle restaurant.

"Temari! Temari! Look over here!" Cried a voice in the darkness.

The couple turned and a bright flash hit their eyes.

"What the hell?!" Shikamaru yelled and started forward but Temari grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Shikamaru, it's okay! They're with the Mirage!" Temari said.

"Mirage? What the hell is that?" Shikamaru grumbled still trying to clear the spots from his eyes.

"They're THE local tabloid of the sand." Then she grabbed his arm excitedly, "I wonder if our picture will be in tomorrow's issue? They only publish once a week!"

Shikamaru looked over at Temari who was clutching his sleeve and her teal eyes sparkled looking up at him. He couldn't help but sigh, "Is it that important to you to be in that magazine?" He asked curiously.

She pulled away from him and looked up with a thoughtful expression, "No, not really but it would be really nice to show all those Sand kunoichi that you're taken." She said with a wicked smile and laugh.

Shikamaru laughed self consciously and put his hand up to rub the back of his neck. "I don't think that's the problem. It's more likely that I should hope that it shows the guys in this village that YOU are taken."

They had continued walking back towards the inn where Shikamaru was staying. They held hands loosely as they walked slowly enjoying the night sky.

Temari's face took on a stunned expression and then she laughed really hard. "I don't know what you mean!" She turned her head to look at him curiously.

Shikamaru stopped walking. "Come on! That parade of guys that just happened to come by our table the ENTIRE night."

"Those were just council members and their families. I've been gone for a while. They were just paying their respects."

"And showing off their sons. It was like they wanted you to see what else was out there on the market."

"Oh please! I've trained with many of those guys! We go way back but not like that. Not like this!" She brought up their joined hands as a sign of their commitment to each other.

Shikamaru sighed. He hated sounding like a jealous jerk even though that's exactly what he was right now.

"Your right." And then he let out a chuckle. "However, I am glad that I paid our waiter to make sure that we had privacy for the rest of the night!"

Temari pulled back again and looked at him, "You did that?"

Shikamaru chuckled again, "Yeah I did, after the sixth interruption in an hour, I had had enough. Which was a good thing cause otherwise our date would have gotten sabotaged by Ino and Kankuro!"

Temari started laughing again. "Yeah, I guess, that was a good thing! I always knew that Kankuro liked Ino but I can't believe that Gaara was there with Sakura."

Temari gave Shikamaru a sideways glance to gauge his thoughts on the subject.

Shikamaru shrugged, "I don't know what's going on between her and Sasuke. And you know what?" He said as they reached the door to the inn he was staying at. He put his hands on either side of her face. Her curling blonde hair was always spiraling around her so he smoothed it back, loving the silky, softness of her hair.

He leaned in close and said, "I don't care." He gave her a soft kiss. When he pulled away he saw that her eyes had closed and she had a small smile on her face.

"Care to come up for a nightcap?" Shikamaru whispered.

Temari sighed, "I thought you'd never ask."

::

Matsuri and Sari were sitting in the coffee shop having their morning cup of caffeine. They had ordered only one fruit plate to split between them and had foregone their morning pastries. They were determined to get fitter. They both had their eye on a certain shinobi that they were trying to impress.

"Hey did you see this?!" Tian threw down the latest edition of the Mirage. There on the front page was a picture of a laughing Gaara and a pink haired kunoichi that they recognized as Sakura from the Konoha village. Side by side was a picture of a laughing Kankuro carrying a blonde haired kunoichi named Ino on his back. The caption read, "Burning Sands of Love!"

Both girls looked intently at the tabloid cover page and then looked back at each other over the tabletop, "Gaara! Laughing?" They both said incredulously simultaneously.

"Yeah and that's not all! Look at Kankuro! Can you believe that that hussy has the nerve to make a move on him? Here! In Suna!"

Matsuri and Sari looked up at their friend. Everyone knew that Tian had the hots for Kankuro. She raved about him all the time. She even started making up her own face to mimic his when she went out on missions. Kankuro thought that it was a compliment to his leadership. No one dared tell him to his face that it was more of a testament to how strongly the girl obsessed over him.

Tian continued to rant, "Can you believe the gall of these kunoichi from Kono? I mean they think they can just waltz in here and take our men. It's bad enough that Temari is dating that Shikamaru guy. I mean where is that going to go?"

Matsuri spoke up, "I really like Shikamaru. He's a nice guy and a really great shinobi."

Sari piped up, "Yeah and the way Temari gets all soft and gooey when he's around." The girls exchanged looks and laughed. They loved to watch a romance unfold before them.

Tian looked at her two friends and sighed in disgust. "No! We cannot allow this international fraternizations! They need to stop! If this is allowed to continue then what's to stop all of our strong shinobi from defecting to other nations on the whims of 'love'!" Tian said love like it was a bad word. She looked at the two girls for reactions. She was shocked when the girls just shrugged.

"Excuse me, miss" the waiter said as he delivered their breakfast to the table. Tian moved aside.

When he left she put her hands on either side of the tabletop and said menacingly, "Someone needs to stop this!"

Matsuri and Sari exchanged a look of uncertainty between them. Finally Matsuri spoke up softly, "You can't stop love, Tian." She said simply.

Tian looked at her friends in disgust. "So you both would just give up on Lord Gaara just like that!"

The girls looked away and said nothing. They couldn't even look at each other.

Tian gave a grunt of disgust and stalked off.

::

Temari was having breakfast with Shikamaru.

"Page 3! We got page 3! Upstaged by my brothers! I'm never going to hear the end of this." She sighed and put her head down on her forearms, looking forlornly at Shikamaru. "I knew that I should have made you wear something more formal before we went out."

"Hey!" Shikamaru said, taking offense. "I always wear this!"

"Precisely my point! There's work clothes and then there's 'going out' clothes. I need to take you shopping!" Temari said with a serious glint in her eye.

Shikamaru sighed miserably and this time it was his turn to put his head on his forearms. He looked up at her from his prone position, "Ah what a drag! You sound like my mom!"

Temari gave him an appraising look while she munched on her breakfast pastry. "What's so bad about that? I really liked your mom." She said with a smile.

Shikamaru groaned, "Precisely my point! I'm doomed!" He said melodramatically.

"We'll go shopping after lunch." She announced with a smile. Shikamaru buried his head in his arm in reaction.

::

Ino sat cross legged on the foot of her bed. She was still in pajamas from the night before. Her hair was loose and cascaded down her back. She sat brushing her long blonde hair. Sakura had just came out of the bath and was wearing a robe. She went over to her closet and grabbed out a short sleeved red tunic and knee length black shorts.

She looked over at Ino and said, "I'm done with the bath for now if you want to use it."

Ino stretched her arms up and smiled, "I'm good. I showered last night. I can't wait to go see the Majestic Sand Dunes of Suna!"

Sakura smiled as she changed into her clothes. She wanted to see them too but she looked over at her duffle bag and thought of the real reason she was so keen to come to the Sand, her chakra dart.

Several months earlier, Kono and Suna had been asked to join a trade agreement with the Land of Rivers. Gaara had come to show that he had no ill will towards the land that was home to Seimei. Gaara's student, Matsuri had been kidnapped by heretics for the revival of Seimei. They thought to use the power of the one tail inside Gaara to restore their leader. Gaara with the help of Naruto were able to save his student and defeat the long dead leader.

It was then that Gaara had spoken of the opening of the Lady Chiyo Institute for Toxicology. She had been honored when he asked her to join the faculty. Lady Chiyo had been a renown specialist in poisons. Sakura as the apprentice to Lady Tsunade had studied the art as well and had made quite a name for herself in the field. She had declined Gaara's kind offer though because at the time she couldn't see herself living anywhere but Konoha. However if she was honest with herself, her main reason had been Sasuke. The only time she saw him was when he came to report to the Hokage. If she left the village, she wasn't sure that she would ever see him again.

She went to her duffel bag to pull out the chakra dart. She always had to keep it with her or else it would start to cry and howl something fierce. It was similar to Kisame's Samehada. It had been forged using the blood and chakra of orphaned children. Sakura, as well as Niishi, the forger of the dart, had made it their mission to try to track down all the weapons made and to somehow put the souls to rest. The problem was that it was impossible to know where the weapons had ended up. Niishi had made a list and submitted it to Lord Kakashi. There were fifteen weapons listed that were chakra draining types that had been forged in the same manner as her dart. Her dart had only come to her by accident when someone tried to kill Sasuke with it in the Land of Lightning. The chakra dart had bonded with her when she forcefully removed it.

Tenten was the first one that had thought that it was a chakra dart made in the same form as those used by a certain nomadic tribe in Suna. Niishi confirmed that she had made four such darts. The darts were loaded into a tube and using the chakra infused with one's breath, the user would blow the dart at their intended target. Sakura's dart was chakra draining so once embedded into its victim, it fed off their chakra and blood, causing them to weaken and eventually die. The Suna clan though would dip their darts in poison. The poison would penetrate and basically do the same as the chakra draining dart unless the person had the antidote or was immune to it.

Sakura had hoped to find out more about this tribe and if possible learn their methods for using their darts. She also found it odd that Niishi had been commissioned to make four darts. This particular weapon was not common though quite lethal. She was curious if the tribe had had any defectors as of late who possibly may be against the peace alliance. However, this mission was her own alone. Except for Niishi, no one, not even Lord Kakashi, knew that she was here for any reason other than to support the opening of the new institute.

Ino saw Sakura go towards her duffel bag and misunderstood her friend's intent.

"Are you going to get that emerald out again?" Ino asked, still combing her hair.

Sakura sighed and took out the green stone that had been a present from Sasuke to her. The stone was beautiful but its main purpose was to act as a locator for Sasuke. It would light up and grow warm if Sasuke was near by. She held it out and saw that there was no glow. At last communication, Sasuke was near the border of the Land of Lightning. Of course that had been nearly a month ago, but still the lack of any light proved that he was far, far, from here. Sakura put the stone back in her duffel and zipped it up.

She turned to her friend and smiled, "You better get dressed if you want to see those dunes. It's already ten o'clock."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Sakura looked over at Ino. Ino had stopped brushing her hair and got out of bed silently. She went to the door and closed her eyes in concentration. She opened them again and shot Sakura a wide grin. She opened the door to a smiling Kankuro holding two cups of steaming coffee. He was leaning against the door frame with a folded newspaper under his arm.

Kankuro looked Ino up and down, "Wow you look even good in the morning without makeup!"

Ino smiled back and grabbed the cup of steaming coffee and sniffed appreciatively, "I could say the same for you." She quipped back and then gave him a heart wrenching smile as she took her first sip. "How did you know I love coffee?!" She sighed.

Kankuro shrugged one shoulder and said, "Lucky guess, I guess." Then he looked over at Sakura and added, "I got one for you too!"

Sakura put her hands up defensively, "Thanks for the effort but I'm a tea drinker."

"Ah, you and Gaara! He's the same way! Won't touch the stuff!" Kankuro looked back over to Ino appreciatively, "So what do you two ladies have planned for today?"

Ino piped up cheerfully. "Going to check out those Dunes that everyone always talk about!"

Kankuro smiled, "Good choice, good choice." Kankuro put his hands in his pockets and looked up almost shyly, "Would you like some company?"

Ino looked at him wickedly, "Oh we'd love it if Gaara joined us!"

Kankuro looked a bit shocked, "Not Gaara! He's working. You know Kazekage stuff. I meant me."

Ino punched him playfully in the arm, "I know what you meant. I was just playing with you. Meet you downstairs in thirty?"

Kankuro smiled hugely and said, "Yeah I'll be there." And then practically floated out the room.

When the door clicked closed, Sakura looked over at her friend and said, "You know, Ino, he really seems to like you."

Ino started to change out of her pajamas and answered back, "Yeah, and I like him back."

Sakura sighed, "What about Sai?"

Ino turned suddenly and started to zip up her tight black pants. She said almost defensively, "What about him?"

"Well I thought that you and him, I don't know, that you really liked him." Sakura said.

"Well I did! I mean I do!" Ino sighed almost angrily and sat down on the bed to get on her high heeled black boots. She turned angrily to Sakura.

"I do like Sai okay! I like him a lot! But a girl has to know when to cut her losses. I threw everything I had at him. The boy didn't even flinch!" She looked down at the bed covers. When she looked up her eyes glittered with unshed tears. "I'm Ino Yamanaka! I'm used to boys falling all over themselves to get my attention, not the other way around. Is it so bad of me to like the attention that Kankuro gives me? Yes I don't love him or anything but I do like him. I'm sincere in that."

Ino got up and walked over to the mirror to fix her hair and makeup. "Who knows?" She said with a shrug, "This might end up going somewhere. If it doesn't well," she turned and gave Sakura one was her devilish grins, "I'll just enjoy the ride while I'm on it!"

Sakura had to give a chuckle at that. She wished that she could be more like Ino. She picked up her duffel and went over to eye her friend in the mirror.

"Well I don't want to be a third wheel, I think I'll just hang out around the village."

Ino turned and grabbed Sakura's hand and implored, "No, no! You must come with us! I might do something wickedly bad if you aren't there to keep me in check."

Sakura laughed and pulled her hand from her friend's, "Well then enjoy the ride!" She said as she ran to the door and opened and closed it quickly. She chuckled when she heard Ino's hairbrush hit the inside of the door.

::

Sakura skipped down the stairs of the end and snuck by Kankuro who seemed to have his head in a newspaper. She walked out onto the streets of the village. She loved the architecture of the place. The large adobe buildings shaped like lanterns. They were beautiful. She walked a ways trying to find her way to the office of the Kazekage but realized that she was hopelessly lost. She spied an elderly man and his daughter walking down the street in front of her.

"Excuse me, can either of you give me directions to the Kazekage office." Sakura asked politely.

They both looked Sakura up and down. Sakura kept her most polite smile planted on her face.

Cha! What's wrong with these people?! Inner asked with a growl.

Finally the elder man pointed down the street and said "Make a left at the corner. It's the tallest building at the end. Can't miss it."

Sakura thanked them politely and turned in the direction they told her to go. She could still feel their eyes on her when she turned the corner. As she walked down the street, she felt more and more eyes on her.

Why am I being so paranoid? She asked herself reasonably.

What's up with these people? Inner growled again.

Finally, what seemed like an eon, Sakura stood outside Gaara's door. She was surprised to see that there were no ANBU standing guard. She was about to knock when the door opened.

"Sakura" "Gaara". They both spoke over each other. "You first" they said again in unison.

Gaara stepped back and said, "Please come in." Sakura entered his office and knew instantly that she entered his inner sanctuary. His office was a round pillar like most of the village buildings. He had almost a 360 degree view of the entire village from his vantage point. Only one section was blocked by a floor to ceiling mahogany bookshelf. Sakura could not even see as far as it went.

"How do you get a book from the top shelf?" She asked pointing up at it.

"Easy" Gaara replied seriously. He began to float up using his sand.

Sakura laughed, "I forgot that you can do that! This room is beautiful!" Shed twirled around to look at it from all angles. It was obvious that all Kazekage had been men. It was a very masculine room.

Gaara motioned to her to sit down, "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?" Before she could reply though he seemed to have a sudden thought as if he just remembered something, "Is it that article in the paper?"

"Article in the paper?" Sakura asked curiously.

Gaara turned to a side desk and rummaged through until he produced it. He handed it to her and said quite serious, "It's just rubbish! No one believes that trash!"

Sakura took the paper and instantly saw the cover page featuring a picture of her with Gaara and then her mouth gaped open at the heading, "Burning Sands of Love!" She said and then started laughing. No wonder everyone kept looking at her strangely when she was asking for directions to Gaara's office. They probably thought she was going to a lover's tryst.

Gaara frowned and took the paper from her. He looked at the cover again. He didn't understand what was so funny. He looked back at her quizzically. Then he shrugged, "Well if it's not about this then what can I do for you? Have you reconsidered that faculty position?" He said with a twist of his lips which is what he thought passed for a smile.

Sakura removed the chakra dart from her bag to show it to her friend. Gaara reached instinctively to touch it. Sakura put her hand out to catch his wrist. She heard the menacing growl of the dart though she was sure that no one else could.

"It's a chakra dart." Gaara said simply and pointedly looked at her hand which still encircled his wrist.

Once Sakura was sure he wouldn't touch it, she removed her hand from his, "It's not just a chakra dart. It's a chakra draining dart." She clarified.

"Four such darts were commissioned and made. I wanted to find out more about them. I heard that there was a tribe in Suna that specialized in the use of such weapons."

Gaara sat back and nodded, "Yes the Sumiyoma clan." He said. "One of their own is a genin in our ranks under Kankuro, Tian, I believe her name is."

Sakura nodded. Gaara looked at her questionably and asked her how she had come across such a weapon. She gave him a vague run down of the events which led her to acquiring the weapon.

Gaara looked at her vaguely and then it seemed a light bulb went off in his head, "This reminds me." He again searched through a pile of missives on another table. "I was going to send word to Kakashi but since you are here. One of my ANBU came across a man bearing a striking resemblance to Sasuke. In fact so striking that he initially reported that it was Sasuke. Thinking Sasuke was in the area, I sent my third eye out to investigate. I saw the man and he indeed seemed like Sasuke right down to his chakra signature. Is Sasuke working undercover? The men that he were with are renown criminals and are known for their plots against the alliance."

Sakura looked at him curiously, "When did this occur?"

"Just a few days ago." Gaara replied. "Why?"

Sakura sighed in relief, "All I can tell you for sure that I know that the person you saw could not have been Sasuke."

Gaara looked at her intensely, "How can you be so sure?" He asked in his gravelly voice.

Sakura met his stare unwavering, "Because I have a way to know where Sasuke is. I know for a fact that he is not in the Land of Wind at this time nor has he been in the last four days. I cannot say more than that."

Gaara nodded and seemed relieved, "I trust you and am glad to hear it. Please let Kakashi know though what I happened to witness."

Sakura nodded in agreement. Just then her stomach grumbled. Gaara looked up, having heard it. "Lunch?" He offered.

Sakura raised one eyebrow, "Is that a good idea?" She pointedly looked down at the paper on his desk.

Gaara shrugged indifferently, "No one reads that anyway." He replied.

"Hmm humph", she said disbelievingly. Her stomach rumbled even louder. She realized that she hadn't eaten breakfast and it was indeed close to lunch.

"Sure, let's go." She answered. Gaara gave another twitch of his lips, "I know a great spot. Do you like dumplings?"

"Do I?!" She said excitedly.

Gaara remained looking at her stoically.

"That means yes! Yes I do!" Sakura said and laughed. She forgot how Gaara was so literal.

Gaara gave another twitch of his thin lips. "Great then. Let's go!"

::

Ino and Kankuro made their way to the very edge of the village, towards the popular tourist attraction.

As they walked, Ino noticed several people passing them riding these white boards that seemed to hover a foot or so off the ground.

Ino stared intensely at one as it flew by. "What are those things?" She asked in wonder.

"Oh those are hover crafts. The newest fad here in the Sand. They were developed by a man from the Southern part of Suna, Ninen Koi. He's a multimillionaire entrepreneur. He originally made his money by discovering oil near the coast. Now he funds private ventures such as, well, the hover crafts. Gaara had to put him on the council. We need all the funding we can get after the war. Hopefully this new institute will also supply us with some more revenue."

Ino nodded thoughtfully as he talked. They held hands and strolled leisurely towards the venue. She could get used to this, she thought.

When they reached the site of the Majestic Sand Dunes her breath caught in her throat at the sheer magnitude and beauty of the place. Ino leaned over the low railing. They seemed to go on forever. Sai would love to paint this, she thought suddenly and then felt the pang in her heart.

Stop! She ordered herself. Stop thinking about him!

Kankuro reached down to put a hand on either side of her small waist and drug her back towards him and reality.

"Be careful!' He said and pointed at a nearby sign. The sign depicted a large sort of wormlike creature with multiple sharp teeth. Under the picture was a list of feeding times. The next one was in ten minutes.

Ino looked up into Kankuro's face and smiled.

"You can let go now." She said with a smile but her meaning was unmistakable.

Kankuro smiled down at her, "Maybe I don't want to." He replied with a leer and pulled her closer.

Ino stomped the pointed heel of her boot down on his foot. Not hard but hard enough to get her message across.

Kankuro let go immediately and started hopping on one foot.

"Okay point taken! When the lady says let go. I'll let go." He said as he massaged the top of her foot.

Ino looked at him and smiled. She waited until he was able to walk again and then grabbed his hand. She drug him back to the railing.

"Cool!" She cried as the sand seemed to come alive. Great mounds of sand at least a half league of so in width started to churn up and outwards. Suddenly a giant sightless maw filled with row upon row of sharp teeth broke the surface and reared up to plummet back down. It's hairless body seemed to go on forever as it dove back under the surface of the sand.

"Yeah they know it's almost feeding time so they are starting to get riled up." Kankuro explained.

"What do they eat?" Ino asked curiously.

Kankuro looked at her sideways and said, "Raw meat."

Ino shivered and then had a sudden thought. She let go of his hand and grabbed the camera that she had brought which she wore around her neck. She quickly brought the strap over her head and ordered Kankuro to take her picture.

Kankuro laughed and agreed.

"I want a picture with me and one of those sand thingies!" She called out to him as he backed up a ways to get a good shot.

"Worm! Sand worm!" Kankuro replied back.

Ino shrugged and tossed her long blonde ponytail back. She sat on top of the railing and gave the camera her profile and turned her head towards the lens.

Kankuro called out, "Be careful!"

Ino sniped back, "I am! Just take the shot!"

Kankuro chuckled, "I have to wait for the Sand Worm, you know!" Ino stuck her tongue out.

Finally the worm complied and Kankuro was able to take the shot. Ino started to step down off the railing when suddenly a person on a hover board zoomed close to her and she was shoved over.

She fell straight onto the red sand dune. The worm had already plummeted back down but once it sensed that something had landed on its home, it began to make a beeline right towards Ino.

Ino stood up and looked back towards the platform. It was an easy 12 feet or so to the top. She started to jump but realized too late that she was sinking into the soft sand. She twisted this way and that but she only seemed to get stuck further.

"Ino! They're bringing the rope! Just hold still!" Kankuro yelled down at her.

"Okay!" She yelled back. Then all of a sudden she felt a giant shift in the sand. She started to feel herself being propelled upwards.

She couldn't quite keep the fear from her voice. "Kankuro, hurry! I feel that worm thingy coming!"

Kankuro looked back down at her and then over to where they were running with the rope, "Shit! They're not going to make it!" Kankuro said frantically. He suddenly looked down intensely and cried out, "Ino, go limp!'

"What?!" She yelled back. It was hard to hear with the roar of the sand as she suddenly felt it start to dissipate all around her. She felt the slimy touch of the worm's skin as it started to break the surface.

Kankuro called out, "Trust me! Go completely limp!"

Ino let her mind retreat. She really didn't want to feel the slimy creature devouring her anyway.

The next thing she knew she was in Kankuro's arms and the crowd was cheering. Several camera bulbs were going off. Ino looked up into Kankuro's crinkling eyes and said in awe, "You saved me! But how?" She asked as she looked back at the giant worm still tunneling through the sand below.

He wiggled a finger and suddenly her arms jerked upwards to wrap themselves around his neck.

"You made me a human puppet?' She asked incredulously.

He looked down at her and then set her back down on her feet. Ino felt the severing of the puppet chakra strings as they melted away. Her body tingled where they had connected to her muscles and she fell forward a bit as she tried to regain control of her body. He ignored the gathering crowd and looked at her sincerely.

"I'm sorry. It was the only way to get you out of there in time."

Ino placed her hand on his chest and looked up at him through shiny blue eyes, "No, it's okay. It's okay!" She said and then reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck of her own accord. She gave him a soft kiss on the lips. The crowd exploded.

She his her head in his chest and he heard her utter the words, "Thank you!"

Kankuro hugged her back. Then he looked around the crowd of people that had gathered.

"Okay folks! This shows over but hey look over there! I think they are about to start the feeding!" Most of the crowd dissipated. A few stragglers stayed back to utter their amazement at the great rescue.

"You are truly the hero of the sand!" Many shouted as they walked away. Kankuro buried his face in Ino's sweet smelling hair and said, "It's okay! They are all gone now!"

Ino raised her head to lock eyes with Kankuro's. "I've never felt so mortified! What happened? I felt that girl on the hovercraft kick me over the side."

"It was a girl?" It had all happened so fast and unexpectedly. Also the rider was wearing a safety helmet.

Ino nodded. "Yea! Before I fell over my hand brushed the side of her face below the helmet shield. I felt her anger at me, her malice." She looked up into Kankuro's face. "Why did she hate me so much? I truly felt her wish for me to die." She said sadly.

Kankuro buried her face back into his chest. "It's okay. Let's get you back to your room, okay?"

Ino nodded.

::

Tian was even more angry when she saw her sensei's great rescue of the Konoha kunoichi.

Great, she thought, now I've brought them even closer together! Good job!, her Inner said sarcastically.

"Shut up!" She yelled back and slapped her hand angrily onto the helmet she was holding. Some people nearby heard her outburst and moved away from her, casting her sidelong glances. Tian stuck her tongue out at them angrily. She had to turn away. She couldn't bear looking at her sensei anymore as he gave the other girl his attention. She tried to calm herself down. There would be other opportunities to get the girl away from her love. She knew that fate meant for her and Kankuro to be together. With that thought in her head, she put her helmet back on and boarded her hovercraft for home. She would just need to be patient.

::

 **Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. If so, please send me a review. You know how much I love to hear back. Thanks also for you hit follow/fave. I like to know that there are people who are actually out there and want to know what the next chapter brings. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this one. Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Gaara and Sakura were walking back to Gaara's office after eating lunch. Sakura couldn't help but laugh while they were walking back.

"What is so funny?" Gaara questioned in his usual stoic manner.

Sakura swung her arms out wide to indicate the people on the street that had stopped to stare at them. In fact two carts loaded with fruits and vegetables actually collided not a few minutes earlier because the two drivers were too fascinated watching the two of them walk down the street.

"Don't you think that it's a bit funny how everyone stops and stares at us when we walk by?"

Gaara shrugged, "I guess that I've just become so accustomed to it that I just don't notice it anymore."

Sakura looked over to Gaara as they walked, "So it's a usual thing to have carts crash in front of you as you walk through town or for the person your walking with to get handed flowers." She indicated the flowers in her hand as proof.

Gaara admitted, "You may have a point. I don't remember anyone ever handing Kankuro flowers or Temari either, for that matter."

Sakura began to laugh anew as she pictured Kankuro holding flowers and skipping along with a girlish smile on his face.

Gaara gave her another expressionless look, "Why do people laugh when I say things? I'm not trying to be funny."

"Trying or not, you can be quite funny, Gaara. Just picture what you just said about Kankuro. Imagine if someone handed him this bouquet of flowers." Gaara tried to imagine his older brother with the pink and white spray. His lips gave a twitch.

Sakura didn't miss his fleeting change of expression, "See I was right. The image is quite funny isn't it?"

"Perhaps a bit." He conceded. "Anyway, it's a moot point. No one has ever given Kankuro flowers while we walked back to work."

"Precisely my point, Gaara! I think that despite what you think, your people do believe everything they read in the papers."

Gaara stopped to slide the door open for her. "Are you saying that they think you and me are…?" Gaara couldn't even finish the thought.

Sakura laughed as he finally understood the mayhem that just ensued. "Yes, Gaara, they think you and I are an item." Then she leaned close and whispered, "lovers."

Gaara's face turned red. Sakura laughed and took his hand, "Come on, lover boy! Let's take another look at that office of yours."

Gaara stood unmoving and seemed to try to make sense of what Sakura had just told him. "Sakura" he called. She turned back to him from the foot of the steps leading up to his office. He swallowed hard, trying to think of how to word what he wanted to say, "You know that I like you. We have both been through a lot together, but uh…"

Sakura realized what the problem was and decided to take pity on him. She came back down the step and stood toe to toe with him. Her hand still lightly holding his. She smiled gently at him and said, "I like you too, as a friend." She emphasized the last word and then continued, "But I do enjoy teasing you!"

Gaara exhaled slowly and gave another twitch of his lips, "In that case, lead on. I'd really like your input on my welcoming speech. After all, you fought with Lady Chiyo in her last battle."

Sakura began walking up the stairs again. "Yes I did. She was an amazing person. I wish I would have had more time with her. Did you speak with her brother, Ebizo?"

They reached the top of the landing. Gaara opened his office door and they walked back in. Gaara walked back over to his desk where it looked like more mail had piled up on his desktop since they left for lunch.

Gaara sighed, "It's always like this. It drives me crazy. As soon as I get one thing organized then ten more come in. It's a constant battle."

"Sounds like you need an assistant." Sakura said as she started sorting his incoming mail.

"Are you applying for the position?" Gaara asked seriously.

Sakura put her hands up and said emphatically, "No thanks! I had enough of that with Lady Tsunade! Besides that would just give the masses more to talk about, wouldn't it?"

Gaara shrugged. Sakura continued, "No seriously, you need to find yourself an assistant that can sort through this mess and handle the little stuff while making you aware of the bigger issues. Surely there's someone that you can trust."

Gaara looked thoughtful, "Well there's one or two but I don't know if Kankuro could part with them. We are short on able bodied shinobi right now."

Sakura looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "I think that Kankuro would be on board for anything that can get you out of this office by the time normal people are going to bed. Now until that happens let me see what I can do."

::

It was late afternoon when Sakura left Gaara's office. He had offered to see her back to the inn but she had declined. She thought that they had given the Hidden Sand Village enough to talk about for one day. Before she left though she asked if she could take the newspaper with her.

Sakura found Ino sitting up in bed when she got back to the room. She knew instantly that something was wrong. Her friend was always bounding with energy. She only laid in bed due to sheer exhaustion or if she was depressed. In fact that had been the main reason that she had asked her friend if she wanted to take a holiday with her. Ino had been lazing around in bed a lot since she had gotten back from her mission to rescue Shikamaru and Sai.

"Okay" Sakura started after putting her duffel bag down on the table next to Ino's bed. "What happened?" Her friend looked at her dazed and told her about the day's events.

"Wow! That's crazy! I bet I know what will make you laugh though." Sakura took the folded newspaper from under her arm and showed it to Ino.

Ino looked at it curiously and then her face turned red with anger. Sakura got up and took a step back, "Okay this was not the reaction I thought you'd have."

"That bastard!" Ino fumed.

"Who?" Sakura asked, completely puzzled.

Ino flung herself out of bed, "Kankuro, of course! I saw him with a newspaper but he didn't mention a thing about this! I bet he's got a girlfriend! Or check that, LOTS of girlfriends! That's probably why I went flying today and almost killed!"

"Um Ino I think that you are being a bit dramatic here."

"Dramatic? Did you almost get eaten by a WORM? A worm, Sakura!" Ino fluffed out her hair in a huff.

Sakura tried to contain her giggle. "It's not funny!" Sakura shook her head and echoed, "Not funny!" Then the giggle broke forth.

Ino's lips began to twitch, "Okay it wasn't funny at the time! It was really scary! I thought it was the end of me."

Sakura came over to Ino and gave her friend a hug, "I'm glad that you weren't worm food." She said sincerely. Ino grabbed a pillow from her bed and hit Sakura over the head. Sakura laughed in earnest and backed away.

"Okay, what are we doing for dinner?" Sakura asked.

"Kankuro said that he would come by later." Ino had a certain malicious gleam in her eye. Sakura was glad that she wasn't going to be on the receiving end.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, there was a knock at the door. Ino stood up and grabbed the paper from the foot of the bed. She walked over to the door and opened it. Kankuro stood there holding a bouquet of yellow daffodils in his hand.

Ino reached over and took the flowers from him with one hand and shoved the newspaper to his chest with the other. Then she slammed the door in his face.

It took a second for Kankuro to realize that he was on the losing end of an Ino Yamanaka tirade. He hesitantly knocked on the door and called Ino's name.

Ino started putting the flowers in a tall cup by the sink, filling it with water. She completely ignored the pounding on the door and Kankuro begging her to open the door. Sakura sighed. "I can't deal with this!" She went over and opened the door. Kankuro looked heartbroken. Sakura sighed.

"She's upset that you didn't tell her about the newspaper article and she thinks you have a jealous maniacal girlfriend or um, two, out there. Anyway that's the run down. I'll wait for you to work this out or not downstairs. If you do work this out with her, dinner is totally on you." Sakura grabbed her duffel and jacket and went downstairs, leaving them in private.

Kankuro waited for the door to close and then looked over at Ino who was brushing her hair in rapid succession, something she did when she was upset.

Kankuro cleared his throat and met her eyes in the mirror. He tried to smile and said jokingly, "Well I can assure you that I have no maniacal jealous girlfriends out there."

Ino looked at him seriously, "Are you sure?" She asked.

"Well none that I know of anyway. I think you might be confusing me with Gaara. He's the one that all the girls seem like to go for."

Ino turned in her chair and looked up at him, "Why keep the article a secret?"

Kankuro looked uncomfortable, "I was going to show it to you. I truly meant to but I don't know I thought that once you saw it that you wouldn't want the world to think that you were tied to me or anything. I thought that you wouldn't want to be seen with me." He looked away. He couldn't even look her in the eyes.

Ino grabbed his hands. "I would never not want to be seen with you. Whatever else there might be between us, we will always be friends."

Kankuro let out a painful groan and his knees buckled back a bit as if he was going to collapse from the agony. Ino laughed playfully and said with a flirtatious laugh, "Hey just because we will always be friends, doesn't mean that that's all we have to be tonight!"

Kankuro groaned again, "Ino, you are killing me!"

Ino laughed, "Yes but you will die with a smile on your face. Now shoo! I need to do my makeup before you take me out on the town tonight. I have to look good for the cameras, you know."

Kankuro laughed and grabbed the makeup brush from her, "May I?" He asked.

Ino looked at him surprised, "I've never had a man offer to do my makeup before. This is a first."

Kankuro looked at her sincerely, "I hope that this is the first of many firsts for us."

Ino for once was speechless and sat back and closed her eyes, letting Kankuro take control. It truly was a first for her. She never let any man take control of any aspect of her life before. It kind of felt good.

::

The three of them made their way to the closest restaurant. It was a bit chilly outside and there was a strong wind coming through the village. The wind was do strong in fact that it took both Kankuro and Sakura to open the door to the small mom and pop establishment.

"Kankuro! What an honor to have you back to our restaurant! And who are the lovely ladies that you have brought with you?" The restaurant owner asked him.

Kankuro made introductions and the three were led to a table in the far back, away from prying eyes as the proprietor said. They ordered quickly since they were all hungry.

Sakura felt like a third wheel, seeing her two companions huddled so close together.

"Well it looks like you were able to work out any misunderstandings." Sakura said pointedly and then she noticed the gold highlights in Ino's mascara. She became fascinated on how they seemed to catch the lamplight in the restaurant. "Ino, I've never seen that mascara before. How did you get it to work like that?"

Ino laughed embarrassed and looked up at Kankuro who answered, "Oh that's my doing. You see I like to play with colors. I put on her mascara and while it was still wet, I added gold dust to the tips."

"It's really fabulous! Wow, Gaara was right. You really do know your makeup." Kankuro laughed a bit self consciously. Ino placed her hand on his and said, "Yeah he's really something, isn't he?"

Their food arrived and they all began to eat. Sakura regaled them about the day with Gaara. They laughed when she recited the whole cart incident and how Gaara didn't even break stride as he walked around them. Kankuro laughed, "That's my little bro!"

Before they finished their meal, Sakura mentioned how she had heard about a clan that used chakra darts in their arsenal.

"Yeah, the Sumiyoma clan. Their skill is amazing! They can hit their mark almost forty yards away. They are quite impressive."

"Yes, well, Gaara thought that there was a genin from that clan in your squad."

"Yeah, Tian." Kankuro replied.

"Yes, Tian, is there any way that you could make me an introduction with her? I'd love to maybe meet her clan leader and have a demonstration of their art." Sakura asked.

Kankuro was only too happy to provide assistance, "Yeah sure no problem. Their clan leader is a really nice guy, Sachihiro. He gives demonstrations on request. I'll send him a missive in the morning and set you up with Tian. I'll come by in the morning and make the introductions. I wish that I could hang out with you more tomorrow but that's the last day before the grand opening. We will be expecting a flood of visitors in and I need to see to the security."

Ino smiled, "That's okay. There's plenty to see around the village. I think that I can handle myself assuming that there are no more crazy girls on hovercrafts or giant worms that wish me dead."

Kankuro grabbed her hand as they walked out of the restaurant and laughed. "If anyone hurts a hair on your lovely head, Miss Yamanaka, I will personally make sure that they never see the light of day again." Kankuro said menacingly.

Ino pointed her finger at him, "I'm still holding to the jealous ex-girlfriend theory!"

Kankuro held up his free hand and argued though with a smile on his face, "Seriously there are no ex-girlfriends!" And then realizing how that sounded when both Sakura and Ino started to laugh, he amended, "No ex-girlfriends recently, I mean."

Sakura was still laughing when she reached the main door to the inn, "Good night you two. Thanks for letting me crash your date and thanks for buying. See you tomorrow morning, nine-ish, Kankuro?" She asked with a question.

"Yes nine is fine." Kankuro replied.

The two of them waved goodbye to Sakura. Ino turned and looked up into Kankuro's smiling face, "I really should go in too. You sound like you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow." Ino let her hand trail up and down the front of Kankuro's shirt.

"Thanks for today. For saving me and all. Sorry I was such a pain in the …" Kankuro's mouth devoured the rest of her sentence. Ino let herself melt into the kiss. She began to kiss him back and then realized that they were in a public place when a lightbulb flashed brightly in her eyes.

"Thanks Kankuro, Miss Ino!" Cried a voice in the distance.

"Well looks like we made another headline." Ino said and in a way she was glad for the interruption. Things were happening way too fast and she didn't like that. She liked things to be in control, her control.

She stepped back and straightened his shirt, "Thanks for tonight. I'll see you around tomorrow?" She asked.

"Definitely!" Kankuro replied still dazed from the kiss and the flashbulb to realize that Ino was going inside the inn. He wanted to call her back but realized that she was right. He had a big day tomorrow and would need to make it an early night. He hummed to himself happily as he walked down the street.

He didn't hear the shattering of a girl's heart as she watched from a nearby darkened corner.

::

"Tian? Are you alright?" The makeup Tian wore could not quite hide her dark circled swollen eyes that she had from crying all night.

Kankuro looked at the young girl and smiled kindly, "Hey who's the bozo who made you cry? Point him out and I'll really give him something to cry about?"

Tian smiled at that. She loved how her sensei was so protective of them all. That was one of the reasons that she had fallen in love with him. It was right after her brother left. Some of the boys were calling him a deserter, a coward. Tian had come to her brother's defense. The boys turned on her and started calling her names. Kankuro had broken up the fight sending a few of the more aggressive bullies to the hospital with broken noses. He declared that no one would be judged by the actions of family members or friends but on their own merit and as shinobi of the sand that we should stand together and have each other's backs.

Tian had fallen head over heels from that point on. She watched him from afar. She made sure to work hard and get on his team. Even on her off days she made a point to shadow him. A day without seeing him was pure agony. She had been working up the courage to ask him out since she turned eighteen. She remembered at her birthday party when he had asked to have the first dance with her. He had held her so close. She could still remember the cologne that he wore. She managed to procure a bottle of it and it sat on her nightstand. She made sure to place a dab of it on her pillow every night so that she could pretend that he was there with her.

She was just about to ask him out when that girl arrived. She looked down at the special edition paper in her hands and felt herself beginning to crumple it.

"Hey Tian. Are you sure that you are okay?" Kankuro asked getting her attention back to the present.

She couldn't speak with him this close and looking at her with concern so all she did was nod.

"Good. There's someone that I want you to meet. Sakura, can you come over?" Kankuro called out.

Sakura had been greeting Matsuri and Sari. The three of them were apparently laughing about something. How could those girls smile at the woman who was taking Lord Gaara away from them? Tian thought. They really must not know what true love was like. Tian looked back at Kankuro's profile. His face was made up as usual and he wore the black jumpsuit of his office. He was perfect, she thought with a sigh.

Sakura came up to the two of them and had to hold back a gasp of surprise, the girl's face was a near perfect imitation of Kankuro's.

Kankuro made quick introductions, "Sakura Haruno, this is Tian Sumiyoma. Tian, Sakura. Sakura was very interested in your clan's chakra dart jutsu. I spoke with your clan elder and he's offered to give her a demonstration. Can you escort her to your clan's quarters and stay with her throughout the day? Answer any questions that she may have and escort her anywhere else that she might need to go."

"But sensei, I thought that you and I were going to take care of security today. I thought that you might want to go around the village together and make sure that all was in order for the representatives arriving today." Tian asked.

Kankuro smiled, "Easy Tian! If I don't watch myself, you'll have my job! Anyone can come with me but you're our representative for the Sumiyoma clan. Show Sakura here our village hospitality. I leave her in your capable hands, Tian"

Kankuro gave her shoulder a squeeze and then turned back to Sakura. "Tell Ino to wear something wicked tonight. I know a great karaoke bar."

Sakura laughed, "I won't mention the karaoke part."

Kankuro got called away at that point leaving the two kunoichi together.

Tian couldn't hide her disappointment at being stuck on escort duty. She looked Sakura up and down and with a nod of her head ordered, "Come follow me. I'll take you to our clan leader."

Well, she's a cheery one! Inner sneered. Sakura quieted the voice inside of her. The girl probably thought that escorting her around the village all day was beneath her status as a shinobi.

Sakura tried to lighten the tense mood with small talk but the girl only gave monosyllabic answers if she answered at all. Finally they came to the clan's quarters on the outer edge of town. Sakura had gotten completely confused by the maze of streets that they had gone through and was hopelessly lost. No wonder, Kankuro had asked the girl to stay with her all day. The streets in this part of the village were impossible to navigate.

The girl went up to an adobe house that looked much like the dozen or so that they had passed along the way and knocked. A middle aged man greeted them with a smile.

"Hello Tian. Who have you brought me today?" He asked.

Tian looked at her clan leader belligerently, she hated how he vowed to every foreigner that came through their gates. "Lord Kankuro sent word that Sakura Haruno was coming to visit you." She said abruptly.

"Yes, yes. I'm Sachihiro, clan leader for the Sumiyoma clan. So I've heard that you are interested in the art of chakra darts. Where have you heard of it before?" He asked as he beckoned them inside.

Sakura had expected the question and countered smoothly, "When I was in the Land of Rivers there was a craftsman there had some samples of chakra darts. I had never seen them before. He mentioned how your clan specialized in their use. I thought that while I was here that I would see how it was all done."

"Land of Rivers? Yes I do seem to recall that they made some chakra darts for us long ago. Now we craft them here in the village. I would be happy to show you a demonstration if you like."

Sakura nodded eagerly and said, "I would like that very much!"

Sachihiro smiled and asked her to follow him. Sakura followed him to an outdoor patio area that opened up into a desert garden. It was breathtaking.

"This is beautiful!" She said.

Sachihiro smiled modestly, "It's a little hobby of mine." Sakura walked over to look at one of the cacti that was blooming a beautiful burnt orange color. The long spikes of the plant prevented any touching of the flower itself.

"This is gorgeous!" Then Sakura thought of the lone little cactus in Gaara's office and murmured, "I wonder if Gaara's plant will bloom like this one day."

Sachihiro heard her and came forward to ask, "Lord Gaara likes cacti."

Sakura straightened up and said, "I think so. He has a plant very similar to this one that he seems to care for. However, I'm really no expert."

Sachihiro begged her to stay put and then went into a covered shed that he had in the back. He brought out a gorgeous cactus plant that boasted a barely opened red bud.

"This is the pride of my nursery. Please take this to Lord Gaara from the Sumiyoma clan." He said and presented it to her with a bow.

Sakura stammered, "No, no I couldn't possibly."

Sachihiro brought his hands together as if to beg. "Please it would be an honor to know that he looks on it everyday. Please!"

Sakura hesitated but then took the small pot from the man's hands. "Alright. I'm sure that Lord Gaara will be thrilled."

Sachihiro looked pleased and indicated for her to follow him out into his desert garden. Sakura placed the pot on a nearby table and followed. They rounded a bend and Sakura saw a training area of sorts. She saw several boards lined up equal distances apart. The man took her over to a shed that contained all sizes of darts and blowers. He selected one of each and then brought Sakura back to the target area.

"You see there is really nothing special about the darts or the blowguns that we use. The secret is within us. He loaded the dart into the blower. He closed his eyes and Sakura could sense the build up in his chakra that centered at a focal point in the center of his chest. Then at lightning speed he blew into the blowgun sending the dart soaring easily thirty yards.

Sachihiro looked over at her slightly out of breath. "Do you want to try?" He asked. Sakura nodded with excitement. This is what she had hoped for. Tenten had made her a modified blowgun for her dart but when she blew nothing happened.

Sachihiro handed her his blowgun and selected another dart. "Okay the key is to build up your chakra in one point in your lungs and then dispel the air in one concentrated stream of chakra. Understand?" Sakura nodded.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, building up her chakra into her chest then once she couldn't bear the pressure any longer she raised the blowgun yo her lips and let it all out. The dart barely moved.

Sakura looked down at the still loaded dart in dismay.

Sachihiro patted her back. "It's okay. I would have been shocked if you were able to do it at all, much less on the first time." He said.

Sakura nodded disappointed, "Do all members of your clan use this?"

Sachihiro shook his head sadly, "It's a dying art. Many find it better to use their wind arts in other fashions."

Sakura nodded, "Tian, can you shoot chakra darts?" Sakura looked around her. Tian was no where to be found.

Sachihiro looked around too, "I guess the girl went out the front to wait for you. To answer your question though, no a Tian never showed any aptitude for darts. Her brother on the other hand was a natural."

"Her brother? Is he in the guard too?" Sakura asked curiously.

"No, not any more." Sachihiro shook his head sadly. "He left the village some time ago. He said that the village no longer held his same ideals."

"Oh" Sakura said, realizing that she stumbled onto a painful subject. "I'm sorry. How long ago did he leave?"

"Right before the war." He answered simply and then seemed to brighten up again, "Come on, let's have another go! Can't have you leaving here without at least getting the dart out of the gun, now can we?"

Sakura laughed and agreed, "No we can't!" She applied all her focus to the task and surprised herself and Sachihiro when she was able to get it to shoot out a few feet after a couple more tries.

However, Sakura found herself worn out no matter that her spirit was telling her to keep trying.

"Here let's take a break." He said and they walked back to sit under the shade of his patio. He poured out two glasses of water and Sakura drank eagerly.

"Have there been many others who have left the village from your clan?" Sakura inquired.

"No only Toshi. It really hurt Tian the most. She took the brunt of the blame when he left. Many of the villagers thought that she believed the same as Toshi. They called her names and threw rocks at her. It was a tough time for all of us."

"So I take it Toshi is now a rogue ninja." Sakura surmised.

"I'm afraid so. My worst fear is that Tian might face him in battle one day. I'm sure it's hers too." He said sadly.

Sakura nodded and stood up. She held out her hand to shake his. "I've taken up most of your morning. Thank you."

"Not at all!" Sachihiro exclaimed. "Don't forget Lord Gaara's cactus! Make sure to tell him that it is a gift from the Sumiyoma clan."

Sakura smiled, "I will definitely let him know." Sachihiro led her back towards the front of the house. Sakura was surprised that Tian was not there.

Sachihiro called out but there was no answer, "I wonder where that girl has gone off to!" He cried. They waited there a little longer and then Sachihro offered to walk her back into town. Sakura felt silly making the man go even more out of his way. He had already used most of the morning showing her how to shoot a chakra dart. She thought that she finally had the feel for it and with much more practice she would finally get to try it out.

"No, no! I'm sure I can find it. Just point me in the right direction."

Sachihro hesitated. Sakura could tell that he really didn't want to walk the distance back into the main village however he felt bad just letting her go off alone.

"Look" she said with more assurance than she felt, "I'm a Kono shinobi. I can find my way back no problem." She flashed him a confident smile that seemed to ease his mind.

"Okay" he said. "You see how the sun is shying towards the west right now since it's afternoon. Just follow the sun. The main village is exactly due west."

Sakura nodded and waved goodbye, thanking him once again and set off.

::

"Kankuro, hi. I finally caught up to you." Tian said. Kankuro looked at her curiously, "Uh where's Sakura? Is she through already?"

"Oh no. I'm sure that Sachihiro will talk her ear off for another hour or two. I thought we could have lunch together." She ended hopefully.

Kankuro looked at his student and said quietly, "I asked you to escort Sakura for the day. She is your responsibility."

Tian looked at him sulkily, "I'm sure that Kono kunoichi is just fine. She could always find some dumb boy to show her the way home. I have more important duties than babysitting."

Kankuro swore out loud. He was trying to keep his anger in check but her comments were driving him over the edge, "Look Tian. I am your captain and I am ordering you to go find Sakura and not leave her side for the day, got it!"

Tian's eyes started to tear up, "But we always have lunch together when we are on duty at the same time! Wait! Are you meeting that Ino girl? The one that you keep having your picture taken with! Is it her?"

Kankuro said hotly, "I am not eating with anyone because I am not eating period. There is a lot of work to be done still. Now are you going to carry out my order or are you going home?"

Tian was openly crying now. Her makeup was running down her face making it look a mess. "I'm going home!" She shouted. She turned and ran away.

"Great!" Kankuro said to himself, "Now I've added another thing to my to do list!"

::

Sakura started out well enough. She thought that she remembered most of the way back and with Sachihiro's direction of going due west how could she not find her way. However she did not count on the storm front that seemed to enter the region a half hour after she started out. The cloud cover coupled with the endless switch backs of the streets left her hopelessly disoriented. The rain started slowly at first and then came down in sheets. Sakura tried to shield the tiny cactus from the worst of the rain but could not keep it from pelting the vulnerable flower bud. Finally she thought it best to put it in her pack. Hopefully the spines wouldn't be sharp enough to go through the material.

She opened her bag to put the pot in and felt the whisper of her chakra dart. Sakura was beginning to feel the despair of being lost seep into her being. She zipped up the bag and rose to her feet. She started to move forward once more but felt her bag more backwards. Her dart seemed to be trying to tell her something. Oh well, thought Sakura, it couldn't get her any more lost than she already was. She followed the pull of the dart though the winding streets until she came upon a tall building that she recognized, it was the Kazekage's tower. The dart had brought her to Gaara.

She gave a chuckle of gratitude and patted her bag. Too late she forgot about the cactus and pricked her finger, "Ouch!" She cried and sucked at the soreness. The chakra dart was drawn to large amounts of chakra. No one had more than Gaara in the area that's why it drew her to his tower. Well while she was here, she should deliver the plant, she thought.

Gaara was delighted with the new addition. Sakura had begun to get use to the subtle changes in his expression. She could tell that he was really pleased by the sudden brightness to his tired eyes.

"Are the preparations in place?" She asked.

"Almost." He replied. "I have a bit more things to see to and then I'll go home. See you tomorrow." He said.

Sakura smiled, "Try to get home soon. You really need to be at your best tomorrow for the presentation."

Gaara regarded her solemnly, "You are right, of course. I promise you that I will leave within the hour."

Sakura nodded and bid him farewell. She left the building and made her way back to the inn.

"There you are!" Ino exclaimed when Sakura entered. "Kankuro here was about to start up a search party for you."

Kankuro looked at Sakura in relief, "Did Tian find you?"

"Tian, no, she kind of abandoned me."

Kankuro looked out the window and then back at Sakura, "I had hoped that she came to her senses. She felt that escorting you around all day was beneath her."

"Yeah I kind of got that feeling from her too." Sakura added.

"I'm really sorry, Sakura. Did Sachihiro escort you back?" Kankuro asked.

"Uh no." Sakura hedged.

"Well how did you get back on your own? That part of town is a total maze. Only those that live there can find their way around. I still get lost and I'm from here."

Sakura smiled, "I had some help." She said simply.

"Well in any case, I'm glad you are back safe and sound. I have to run back to work now. Lots of people to oversee." He leaned over and gave Ino a quick kiss. "Don't fall for any other man while I'm gone!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at the two lovebirds. "Okay, out already!" Sakura threw a pillow at Kankuro and Inonto break up their moment.

Kankuro chuckled and ducked out of the room before another pillow could make contact.

::

Tian sat crying. She looked at the picture she had of Kankuro and began to rip it violently into shreds. She should never have chosen the village over her own brother. He had wanted her to go with him and she had said no. She had bought into the unity and peace that Lord Gaara was trying to build with all the nations. Her brother has scoffed and said that Gaara was selling out to the other nations. Toshi had gotten in with this fanatical group that believed that peace could only be achieved if one nation seized the power. This idea of a worldwide democracy would only lead to chaos. Alliances would be created and voting blocks would be established leaving certain nations out in the cold. 'That was how democracy worked' her brother echoed the ideology of the leader of their group.

Tian looked at the missive her brother had sent her. He was back in the country, maybe even the village. She knew that she shouldn't go to meet him but she needed someone to want her. Kankuro obviously didn't! With that thought in mind, she packed her duffel and waited for the rain to stop. She slipped out of her apartment and walked out into the night.

::

 **Hello everyone! Hope you are enjoying the story so far. This was a bit of a setup chapter and yes I haven't forgotten about the shadowy figure at the end of Chapter 1. It's just that he didn't quite fit with this chapter. The next chapter should shed more insight into him. Reviews and follow/faves drive my writing process so if you want me to write more then do one of those three. Thanks again for those that follow/fave already. I really appreciate it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sakura and Ino made their way through the crush of people towards the podium. Gaara was about to give his welcoming speech for the grand opening of Lady Chiyo's Institute of Toxicology. Sakura noticed how Ino scanned the crowd. Sakura pulled her friend's sleeve to get her attention and pointed to the edge of the podium. Kankuro was in full uniform, complete with his war paint. Temari stood near the Suna councilmen in the back

Shikamaru joined them.

"What a drag! I hate ceremonies." The podium was filled with dignitaries from the Sand. Sakura recognized most of the older councilmen, however one was unfamiliar to her. She leaned over to ask Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked at the man in question. He was much younger than the other councilman and always wore an amused look on his face. There was something about the man that Shikamaru didn't like but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

"Yes, he's new to the Suna council. His name is Ninen Koi. I met him the other night when Temari and I were out. He's apparently a wealthy businessman from the south. He sponsored the invention of the hovercraft."

"One of those almost killed me." Ino interjected.

Shikamaru looked at Ino questionably. Ino flipped her long hair, "I'll fill you in later. He's handsome," Ino stated, "if you're into older men."

Shikamaru shrugged and turned his attention back to the young councilman standing with the group of other men near Gaara.

Gaara stepped up to the podium and everyone instantly quieted. He began his speech by welcoming the nations that were represented.

Sakura felt the usual hum of her chakra dart in her backpack. She leaned forward to try to hear Gaara's words but the humming became more of an annoying buzzing in her head.

"Shhh!" She said out loud. Ino looked at her questionably and then turned back to face Gaara once more.

Sakura shook her head and tried to hush her weapon mentally. However, now the dart was practically shrieking. All of a sudden, she saw Kankuro jump in front of Gaara who was in the middle of delivering his speech. Sakura watched Kankuro's body collapse into Gaara's in what seemed like slow motion. Gaara's sand shield instantly came up to protect him from the impact. Chaos ensued as people began to scream and run in all direction.

Shikamaru yelled to his partner, Ino, to follow him and they sprinted up onto the stage. Sakura looked all around. Her dart was still shrieking in her ear and it took all her concentration to stay focused. She began to follow her friends to the stage. Her dart began to howl as if in pain.

"What is the matter?" She asked out loud, unable to think mentally with the cacophony going on inside her head. She spied Ino standing over an unconscious Kankuro.

"I can't get it out!" She cried, tears streaming down her face. Sakura ran up to her friend and noticed that a dart was embedded into Kankuro's chest. Every time Ino grabbed at the weapon, the handle would burn brightly, causing Kankuro to buck up in pain.

"Fool!" Gaara said heatedly, "My sand would have protected me from such a weapon easily."

Sakura looked down at Kankuro's still form and understood the source of her dart's wailing.

"Maybe not this one, Gaara." Sakura said and gave Gaara a knowing look. This type of weapon devoured chakra. It would have eaten its way through Gaara's sand defense. However, Gaara was right, his sand would have definitely slowed the attack. Even if the dart hit him, it wouldn't be fatal at first.

Shikamaru murmured, "It must have been his instinct to protect you. Sakura, can you remove the dart?" He asked.

Sakura nodded, replying, "I'll try!" She summoned her strength and pulled out the dart. She instantly felt the added voices in her head.

 _What is this? A daycare? I'm not the mothering type, in case you haven't noticed._ Inner muttered unhappily.

Ino remained by Kankuro's side and began to heal his wound. His breath was still labored. She looked up at Sakura anxiously.

"There's still something not right. His cells are being destroyed almost as quickly as I'm healing them."

"Poison." Gaara said emotionlessly. His eyes hardened. He looked over at Sakura and uttered one word, "Sumiyoma".

Temari returned from her initial patrol with the troops. She brought over a blower. "We found this on the roof of the neighboring building."

Shikamaru studied the blower and then the rooftop where Temari indicated it was found. "That's a good forty meters away. Someone must be pretty accurate to shoot from that distance without it going awry into the crowd."

Temari nodded and then dropped her eyes down to Kankuro. "He will be okay, right? I've never seen Kankuro felled by a dart before."

Ino looked over to Sakura worriedly, "We need to get him to a hospital. He needs to be detoxed immediately to save his vital organs."

Gaara nodded to two other guards who had rushed forward during the attack. "Ino, Sakura, go with Kankuro to the hospital. Do what you can about the poison. Temari, Shikamaru, you're with me."

Sakura put her hand out to catch Gaara's arm. "I may be able to track the assassin if I go with you."

Ino called over to Sakura urgently, "Sakura! Kankuro has been poisoned. I may be able to stabilize him but I'm no expert when it comes to poisons!"

A man came forward and voiced his aid, "If I may be of assistance, Lord Kazekage". Ninen Koi appeared.

Gaara assessed the young councilman, "I didn't know that you were an expert on poisons, Ninen."

Ninen shrugged, "Personally, I am not. However, I keep a person close to me who is. A man in my station cannot be too careful. I will send her to the hospital."

Gaara nodded and thanked the man. He then turned and announced to the remaining crowd, apologetically, that the inauguration ceremony would be postponed.

"Let's go, before the trail gets any colder." Gaara said and the group splintered, with Ino and the guards taking Kankuro to the hospital and the rest going after the assassin.

Ninen watched them all depart, dispassionately. He looked down at the fingernails on one curled hand. What a bore, he thought. Of course, he knew that it would be a long shot if the assassination team that he hired were actually able to complete their mission, but it certainly would have been far simpler. At the very least, he had hoped for Gaara to be weakened so that he could take care of him himself. Who would have guessed that the Kazekage's brother would be so noble. He sighed, what a pity. He indicated to his assistant who was standing nearby. She was a statuesque beauty with long straight black hair with blue highlights that danced in the morning sun. She sauntered up to the podium.

"Ninen?" She inquired.

He nodded, "Ease the boy's pain, for now."

She looked at him dispassionately, "Ease it, not end it?" She asked for clarification.

Ninen nodded, "For now."

::

"Be careful!" Sakura cautioned as they made their way through the crowds still milling about. "There's still 2 chakra darts left."

"What's so special about these darts other than the poison? And how do you know so much about them?" Temari eyed Sakura critically as she loped along next to her. She hazarded a glance back towards Shikamaru.

"It's a long story but yes, I'm more familiar than most regarding this weapon. Now, I need to concentrate. I'll explain more later."

Sakura tried to listen to the concert of sound that her two darts were making. She finally could make out a change in volume as the two darts seemed to become more excited when they changed directions towards the south and then again towards the east.

"This way!" Sakura relayed as she followed the volume of the darts calling out to their friends.

Sakura recognized the area that they were in. They were headed towards Sachihiro's house.

"I think I know where we are heading." Sakura called out grimly.

Gaara nodded, "Sumiyoma"

Sakura nodded. They rounded the corner. As predicted the darts led them straight to the old clan leader's home.

Shikamaru looked over towards Gaara and Temari. "What's the plan?"

Sakura spoke up from behind. "I know the layout of the home. There's several acres of garden in the back. I think Shikamaru and I should approach from the back."

Gaara nodded. Sakura took off with Shikamaru at her heels. As they rounded the corner of the house to the back, Sakura stopped and grabbed her head. The darts were screaming. Shikamaru pulled her back just in time as a dart whizzed by her arm.

"Shut up!" Inner and Sakura shouted together. The voices immediately stopped. The relief that Sakura felt was so overwhelming that she sank to the ground.

Shikamaru looked down at the woman at his feet. He raised his eyebrow sardonically and said, "I hope that remark was aimed at the voices in your head and not me."

Sakura gazed upwards as Shikamaru helped her to her feet, "Thanks Shikamaru and yes it was aimed at the darts and not you."

Shikamaru risked another glance around the corner. "Where do you think that he is?"

"There's a weapons shed not far from the back of the house. If I had to take a guess I'd say he's there."

They heard a commotion coming from the house. "I think that's our cue." Shikamaru said and launched into the yard. Sakura followed close behind him.

The battle was finished before they reached the shed. Gaara's sand had completely immobilized the attacker. Weapons were scattered everywhere on the ground.

Shikamaru looked appreciative at Temari, "I see that fan of yours still works well to repel projectiles."

Temari put the point of her fan down to the ground and leaned one hip against it. She winked saucily at Shikamaru and said, "You know it!"

Shikamaru chuckled and then looked behind his girlfriend to a figure also trapped in sand.

Sakura noticed her as well and uttered in astonishment, "Tian?"

Shikamaru looked back at Sakura, "You know this girl?"

"She's one of Kankuro's soldiers. I can't believe it!" Sakura said. Tian couldn't look her in the eye.

Temari walked over to the young girl and reprimanded, "How could you do this to Kankuro? That dart was dipped in poison. You better hope that your brother here has an antidote handy."

Tian's eyes went as big as saucers and she stared at Temari. Her voice cracked as she asked, "Kankuro's been hurt?"

"Didn't your brother tell you that he tried to assassinate Gaara but missed and hit Kankuro instead."

Tian looked over at her brother and then back to Temari, her confused look spoke volumes, "I thought that you were arresting me for bringing Toshi, a known criminal, into our village. I knew nothing of this plan." She looked over to her brother, who had remained silent throughout the whole exchange. She sobbed, "Toshi, is this true? You were using me! That's all this was, you didn't miss me at all, did you?" Tian began to cry in earnest.

Temari walked over to Gaara and they went over to see to Tian's brother, Toshi.

Sakura looked at the sobbing girl and asked, "Where's Sachihiro? Is he in this with you as well?"

Tian shook her head, "No, his sister is in poor health. He asked me to look in on his home while he was away for the next few days."

Sakura nodded, she wanted to believe the girl. "I'll let Lord Gaara know."

"How" the girl hiccuped, "How is Lord Kankuro?" The girl asked.

Sakura shrugged, "I really don't know. It all depends what the poison is and if there's a way to neutralize it."

"Shut up!" Tian suddenly cried out.. Sakura looked at the girl startled.

Tian looked embarrassed by her outburst. "I'm sorry. I wasn't speaking to you. I have this voice that's in my head. It often lets me know when I've screwed up royally. Well it's now letting me know." She said sadly.

Sakura nodded. "I understand. I have something similar."

Tian looked at her in disbelief, and muttered, "Yeah, sure."

Suddenly the darts began to whisper again. She felt them pull her towards Tian. Sakura looked at the girl strangely. Her hands and lower body were held in place by immovable sand.

Sakura asked Tian, "Do you have a dart, by chance, on you right now?"

Tian looked at Sakura in surprise, "Yes, my brother gave it to me when we reunited again. He said that I should begin to train again in our clan's ways." Tian shrugged, "I've never been any good at that though, not like Toshi."

Sakura eyed the girl again, "You were able to handle the dart with no problem."

Tian misunderstood Sakura's meaning and answered, "It's not poisoned. It's just a strange dart. He said that he picked it up from someone in his organization. He wanted me to have it."

Sakura nodded and went over to Shikamaru who was standing on his own watching Temari and Gaara grill Toshi.

Toshi was strong though and refused to give any information.

"Tian has a chakra dart in her possession." Sakura said quietly.

"What? How? I thought only a few people like you and Niishi could even hold them without getting hurt." Shikamaru replied with a furrowed brow.

"Well, they were made for someone who could use them. Apparently Toshi and Tian have whatever it takes to master them. She doesn't even know what it is though."

"We need to collect it from her. Those things are too dangerous to be left out there."

Sakura sighed. She agreed with Shikamaru and hopefully by the time that she returned to the village, Nishii would have come up with a plan to destroy the weapons that she forged. However a part of her would miss the constant presence of the dart. In the past few months she had gotten used to not being alone. The dart was always present next to her, seeking comfort, and in a way giving it as well.

 _Well, I for one won't miss it at all! All those sniffling, whining sounds! They give me a roaring headache._ Declared Inner.

Temari came over to the two of them, "Looks like, we'll need Ino for this one. He's not cracking. Let's get back. I'm eager to check on Kankuro."

::

Sakura went straight to the hospital, leaving Shikamaru, Temari, and Gaara, to deal with the siblings. She walked up to the floor that the nurse indicated. When she entered the room, she found an anguished Ino holding Kankuro's hand.

"Oh, Sakura! I'm so glad that you are here! The poison expert that that councilman recommended, Hima, is her name." Ino gave Sakura a hug and whispered in her ear, "I don't think she's very good."

Sakura came over to where Kankuro was lying on the bed. It reminded her of the time when she first met Lady Chiyo. They had met over Kankuro's poisoned body. She looked across the bed and could almost feel Lady Chiyo's spirit. Sakura shook her head and the image faded. There was no time to remember the past. She needed to try to save Kankuro.

"Has she pulled bloodwork from him?" Sakura demanded professionally. She began to slip into her medic mode.

Ino shook her head, "I suggested it but she said that she had some remedies that she wanted to try first. His breathing became more even but I could feel the cellular damage. He's still dying inside." Ino bit back a sob.

Sakura put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "It will be okay. Kankuro's strong. Also as a user of poisons himself he's built up an immunity to most of the common ones. This means that we're dealing with something uncommon. That's a starting point. I'll get blood drawn right away. Lord Gaara needs to see you right now though, they captured the assassin but he's not talking. Temari is hoping that you can look into his head and get an idea of who he's working for."

"Hmm hmm." A voice interrupted. Hima entered the room. She was head to toe gorgeous. Her sleek black hair was tied back with a ribbon and her angular eyes were hidden behind spectacles. She came forward and offered her hand to Sakura.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sakura Haruno."

Sakura looked confused, "You know me?"

"Well, of course, I wouldn't be a very good toxicologist if I didn't know the famous Kona poison expert, second only to Lady Tsunade, I believe." Hima said politely.

Sakura gave her a slight smile, then tried to ignore the flattery to get to the problem at hand. "Thank you but it seems that for such an expert as yourself then you should have known to draw blood immediately. How come it was not done?"

Hima's cheeks turned pink. She held up her hand to show the blood vial. "I thought that I'd try my own antidotes first. I know that it's not orthodox but I thought since time was of the essence I'd try those first. Sadly, none of them seem to be working so I'm drawing blood right now. I apologize for the delay."

Sakura nodded and took the vial from her, "Let me do it."

"Of course." Hima said stepping back. "I need to see to the herb stocks. I will be back momentarily for us to discuss the antidotes that I've tried so far."

Sakura nodded and watched Hima as she exited out the door. Sakura frowned.

Ino touched Sakura's arm to get her attention and said, "I know. I didn't agree with how she handled things either but what could I do. She's from Suna and I'm an outsider. At least you have some credibility." Ino walked back over to Kankuro and touched his face. It was cool but she was worried. It was like his body wasn't fighting at all.

"Will he be okay?" She asked.

Sakura walked up to her friend and put her hands on her shoulders. "I will do everything that I can. Now go! Maybe you can use your skill to find out if that guy stored an antidote someplace. That would save me a lot of trouble."

Sakura felt her friend's shoulders stiffen. She nodded. "You're right. I'll find that antidote even if I have to fry a few brain cells in the process!" Ino flipped her hair back and strutted determinedly out of the room.

Sakura watched her friend go and whispered, "You go girl!" Then she looked back at Kankuro to begin her assessment. They had already lost valuable time. She began to prep his arm to take the blood sample.

::

Toshi sat in the cell. He couldn't take the confinement anymore. He jumped up and began to pace the small quarters of the cell. He had overheard that they were bringing in some interrogation expert. He prided himself on being all in for the cause. However he hadn't counted on failing. He never failed. He had even taken on the great Sasuke Uchiha and laid him flat. Yeah they couldn't find the body to prove it but he knew. He knew when one of his dart's hit their mark.

He felt bad for dragging Tian into all of this. He had hoped to bring her around to fight for the cause but all she wanted to talk about was her stupid crush on that sheep, Kankuro. I mean, he was part of the problem! When he realized that he had missed Gaara but got Kankuro, he was secretly happy. Now his sister would be free from the village and would be able to come with him. Despite what she thought, he did miss her. She was his little sister. He missed her adoration. In the organization, he was way down the food chain. He missed that feeling of being someone's number one.

He heard the main prison door open. Toshi quit pacing and went to the bars. He was eager to see who they brought to interrogate him next. He had stood up to Gaara's sand, anything else would be a piece of cake. He was startled by the man in front of him.

"Have you come to bust me out?" He asked confused. He looked behind the handsomely tailored man but saw no one else had entered.

"Ah so you do know who I am?" The gentleman asked with a half smile playing on his face.

"Of course! Everyone in the organization knows that you are one of our main backers. Without you, we wouldn't have the funds to buy the paper that wipes our asses."

The man chuckled and peered at the lad through the bars, "Everyone knows who I am? Come, come, don't be so modest! I know that's not true."

Toshi colored slightly, "Well, I just happened to guess when the order came through. I mean who else on the council could afford to fund the organization."

"Who else?" The councilman smiled that same half smile, "Toshi, my lad, you are a smart one!"

Toshi smiled in relief, "So I'm right. You are here to set me free."

"Yes, you guessed correctly!" Ninen stretched out his hand and watched as the shadows of the room converged into a hand that reached up and grabbed the young boy by the throat, lifting him slightly into the air. Toshi grappled at his neck, trying to fight off the constraint but his fingers could find no hold. He collapsed dead onto the hard sand of the prison floor.

Ninen leaned back weakly into the wall. His hold on the shadow art was weakening. He needed to find a way to replenish it. He wasn't done using it quite yet. He straightened and checked his clothes. He walked back the way he came, stepping over the body of the dead guard, as he went.

::

 **Hello everyone! Sorry for the long delay. I hope you liked the chapter. Sorry that it was short. I'll try to update again soon. Thank you to those that follow/fave. I'm so thankful to have an outlet for my musings. It makes me incredibly happy to know that someone else gets enjoyment from them too. Please review, follow, or fave if you like the story.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gaara, Temari, Shikamaru, and Ino entered the prisoner's cell block and knew instantly that something was wrong. Temari ran to the sprawled body of one of her guardsman. Her tawny eyes met her brother's.

"He's dead," she uttered, after checking for vitals. They walked into the open entry way. The cell door was ajar and Toshi laid motionless against the back wall, blood trickled down the side of his face from his open mouth.

"No!" Ino screamed, rushing past Temari. She needed this man's thoughts. She needed to find the antidote for Kankuro. Without any thoughts to her own well being, she brutally drove her consciousness into the man's cooling body, searching his last remnants of life for any clue to the whereabouts of the cure.

"Ino, no!" Shikamaru yelled out as he saw what she was attempting to do, but it was too late. Her body slumped forward, empty of her being.

Gaara put his hand out to stop Shikamaru from interfering, "Let her try." He ordered gruffly, "This man, unfortunately, was our only lead."

"She could die!" Shikamaru argued. After a moment or so of mental deliberation, Gaara released Shikamaru, who flew to Ino's side.

He reached her at the same time that her body seemed to swell once again with her consciousness. Ino was breathing heavy with exertion. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked down at her hands.

"I couldn't get any information. I could not find out anything about the poison or the antidote." She muttered in between sobs.

Shikamaru put his arm around Ino's shoulders in consolation.

"Ino," Gaara called to the Konoha kunoichi, "could you get anything? Any clue as to what happened here?" Gaara's emotionless eyes bore into Ino intensely.

Ino gulped audibly. Her face lifted and she looked directly into Shikamaru's face.

Instantly, Shikamaru recognized that something was not right. Ino hesitated to say anything but her eyes spoke volumes, she was afraid.

Shikamaru took her hands in his and massaged her fingers, "It's okay, Ino. I can tell that you saw something. Whatever it is, we need to know."

Ino still hesitated, but turned to face Lord Gaara. "I saw…" She glanced again at Shikamaru who nodded in encouragement. "I saw shadows attack him. He was killed by strangling shadows."

All eyes turned to Shikamaru. He stood up suddenly. His eyes never leaving Ino's.

"Impossible!" He said fervently. That jutsu was possessed only by the Nara clan.

Gaara looked over to Shikamaru and asked, "Are there any of your clan that wish ill to the Sand?"

Temari looked at her brother incredulously, "You can't be suggesting that any of the Nara are involved in this." She moved closer to Shikamaru to show her support.

"I trust that Shikamaru is not involved. However, if this is true, only the Nara would be capable of such a killing." Gaara continued.

Shikamaru looked back to Ino questioningly, "Ino, are you absolutely sure?"

Ino looked down and nodded silently.

"So what does this mean?" Temari asked Gaara, standing between her brother and Shikamaru. The air had become tense as Gaara's gaze ceased to leave the Konoha shinobi.

"Someone plans to cause distrust between Konoha and Suna." The heaviness in the room seemed to lift. Gaara regarded each of them in turn, "We must keep this information to ourselves."

Shikamaru expelled the air that he had been holding. He nodded to Gaara.

"Thank you for your trust. As our main lead has been extinguished then may I suggest that we visit his sister. Perhaps she knows something that might aid us in this investigation."

Gaara gave a slight nod of acquiescence. He waited for Ino and Shikamaru to leave the room. As Temari passed him, she gripped his arm, "Gaara, this was not just an attempt on your life. This was a start of a war."

Gaara's eyes hardened slightly, "Yes. Someone is threatening the five nation alliance."

"If this is happening here, could the other nations be affected as well?" Temari wondered out loud.

Gaara's eyes met Temari's wordlessly. She knew that she had uttered exactly what her brother was thinking.

::

Sakura scanned the blood work analysis for Kankuro. Her brow furrowed. She knew this poison or at least its parent origin. She remembered studying it with Lady Tsunade. It was something used during the Third War. It was not a common poison of the Suna though if she recalled. It originated in the Land of Earth and decimated many of their troops, before Lady Tsunade managed to find the antidote. It has been one of her first major accomplishments in the field of toxicology.

She gripped the paper in her hands roughly. She knew exactly what she needed but time was of the essence. This poison was fast acting. Ino was right when she said that his cells were being destroyed as quickly as she was healing them. He should be dead already. However thanks to his strength, built in immunity, and Ino, he was hanging on.

Sakura ran down to the herbology to gather the needed material. She flew down the stairs to the basement floor of the hospital.

She gasped as she entered the botany lab. The few staff members were on the ground unconscious and most of the herbal supplies were in total disarray. She ran to the two assistants and found that they were both alive.

She woke one of the lab workers, "Who did this?" Sakura demanded.

The dazed shinobi looked around the shambles of the room. Heavy had been thrown about, strewing their contents throughout.

"A woman," the man replied.

"One woman did all of this." Sakura looked about her, incredulously.

"She had…had incredible strength." The man said laboriously. Sakura made him lay back down to examine him. Some of his ribs were broken and one had punctured a lobe of his lungs. She quickly set to repair what she could. However, she felt the clock ticking in her head for Kankuro. How was she suppose to find what she needed in this mess?

::

Ino left the others to check on Kankuro. She had this sinking feeling in her heart that something was not right. She wanted to be at his side to help him in any way that she could. She rushed back to the hospital, leaving Gaara, Temari, and Shikamaru to question Tian.

::

"Tian, what got into you?" Matsuri asked incredulously, "How could you go against Lord Gaara and Kankuro?"

Tian glanced at her friends, Matsuri and Sari who were posted as her guards. She was under house arrest in case she took flight. Tian put her face in her hands and sobbed, "I'm such a fool! I thought Toshi cared about me. I thought when he sent that message to me that he was returning to the village or at the least wanted to take me with him. I thought that he had changed, but I know now that I was wrong. He was using me all along. And now Kankuro…" She couldn't continue. She started sobbing.

Sari sat down next to Tian and put a comforting hand on her back. "It's okay, Tian. We know that you didn't mean any harm."

Matsuri sighed and joined them on the couch. She took Tian's other hand in hers, "I'm sure Kankuro will pull through. I heard that Sakura took charge of him and if anyone can save him, she can."

"Is this how my kunoichi guard a prisoner?" Temari barked, taking in the scene in front of her.

Both Sari and Matsuri jumped to their feet, "No, ma'am!" They replied in unison.

"Temari, that's enough," Gaara censored as he stepped into the room.

"Lord Gaara," Matsuri breathed out softly in awe of seeing her mentor.

"Matsuri, Sari, please wait outside," he requested in his soft gravelly voice.

The kunoichi nodded and started to pass. However, Matsuri paused and looked back to Tian. Before she made her leave, she stopped in front of her Kazekage and bowed her head slightly, "Lord Kazekage, if I may speak in Tian's defense. I believe her when she says that she did not know the plan of her brother's. She has no ill will towards you or your brother or the village."

Gaara silently assessed Matsuri before he replied, "I will take your words into consideration, Matsuri. Now, please, leave us."

Matsuri bowed her head once more, and with a fleeting look back towards Tian, she made her exit. Once Gaara heard the click of the front door to the apartment, he moved forward to address Tian.

Tian jumped to her feet and asked urgently, "How is Lord Kankuro?"

Temari unleashed a hand fan that she kept in her vest pocket for small enclosed places. She sent the girl crashing back against the wall, "He's barely alive, no thanks to you!" She snarled at the sprawled girl lying on the ground.

"Temari, put up the fan." Gaara said in his usual unemotional tone of voice. He bent down next to the fallen girl. "Will you help us?"

Tian rose slowly to a sitting position, "I will do anything to help Lord Kankuro and the village, but I don't know how. Toshi did not tell me anything of importance. I thought that he was coming back to the village for me." She looked down at her hands helplessly, "I was a fool."

Shikamaru stepped forward, "Maybe you know something but you don't even realize it. For instance, did he mention where he had been or who he was with during his absence?"

Tian shook her head, "No, I didn't ask. I didn't care. I was just so glad that he was back."

Shikamaru sighed in frustration and looked over to Temari for assistance. Temari's eyes met his briefly and then returned to the girl who remained sitting on the ground.

"What was he carrying when he came to the village? A backpack, a satchel, anything?" Temari questioned.

Tian nodded, "Yes, he had a black backpack when I met him, but if it's still at the house, I don't know where it might be."

Temari nodded, "I'll send a team over immediately to check for it."

"You said that you met him somewhere. Can you explain where exactly?" Gaara asked.

Tian shrugged, "It was about three kilometers or so past the west wall. There was a enclave set aside in some boulders at the edge of the plains. I met him there and then I snuck him into the village."

"Outside the west wall, you say?" Temari's eyebrow rose as she repeated the location, "Isn't that where you said that you saw Sasuke?" Temari asked Gaara.

"Sasuke?!" Shikamaru echoed, looking at Temari, stunned.

Gaara met his sister's gaze, "I know where their hideout might be." He turned back to Tian and helped her to her feet as he rose. "You will stay here until we've completed our investigation."

"Of course." Tian said.

Gaara walked past Temari and Shikamaru, making his way to the door. He opened the door causing Matsuri and Sari to stumble inside. Gaara's lips twitched.

"Matsuri, Sari, continue to guard Tian. We may return if we have more questions." The kunoichi agreed at once and stood at their post until Temari and Shikamaru passed by them.

Temari gave her two guards a stern look which caused both to look ashamed before she closed the door on them.

She walked passed Shikamaru who was still muttering Sasuke's name under his breath.

"I'll fill you in as we go." She said. Shikamaru nodded and followed.

::

Ino arrived to be at Kankuro's bedside. His condition seemed unchanged and if anything worse. She checked his vitals and took over for one of the exhausted medical staff that was healing him.

"I'm the third one to come in. We are doing all we can, but I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before his organs begin to shut down." The medical assistant cautioned, "I will bring someone in to help you soon. Thank you."

Ino nodded and looked upon Kankuro's still body gravely. She put her hands to his chest and closed her eyes in concentration and began to funnel her chakra into his body. She became aware that things had indeed worsened. His cells were spent. For every one that she saved, two were lost. It was a losing battle. They needed that antidote soon.

An hour later, an exhausted and angry Sakura entered the room. Ino was so encompassed in her healing that her friend's entrance barely registered. Sakura signaled to a pair of medical assistance to take over. Ino resisted at first, but Sakura needed to speak to her so she acquiesced.

"Sakura, what is it?" Asked a breathless Ino, "You have the antidote, right?"

One look at Sakura's demeanor told Ino instantly that something was wrong.

Sakura sighed in frustration, "I was hoping that you would tell me that Gaara and Temari were on the way to retrieving it."

Ino's eyes widened, "No, there was no one to question when we got to the cell. Someone murdered him before we got there."

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed, "I wonder if that same person is responsible for trashing the herbal sector of the hospital."

Ino's expression went from confused to fearful, "Wait, someone trashed the herbs? Were you able to get enough for an antidote for Kankuro?"

Ino grabbed Sakura's arms in desperation. Her eyes beseeched her friend to tell her that all would be alright.

Sakura looked away, unable to meet the intensity in Ino's eyes. She shook her head sadly and whispered, "The key ingredient could not be found. That's where I've been all this time. Whoever did it, must have known what I would need. They purposely made sure that I could not help him."

"There's got to be something, Sakura!" Ino pleaded.

Sakura met her friend's eyes directly and said, "His life is in the hands of Gaara now. They need to find that antidote and bring it here quickly. At the rate he's declining, we only have a few hours at best. Until then, I have the medical staff rotating in. I have upped it to two at a time, but we can't stop the inevitable, Ino."

Ino's hands dropped from Sakura's coat and balled into fists. "Put me on that rotation. I will do everything I can to keep Kankuro alive. I know that Gaara and Temari will come through."

Ino left Sakura in the hall and returned back into the room. Sakura put her hands in her lab coat pockets and exhaled, "They better," she uttered and went to get more pain killers. Soon, Kankuro would begin to start to reject their administrations once the poison reached his spinal cord and moved up into his brain stem. Once that happened, all would be lost.

::

Gaara flew Temari and Shikamaru to the edge of the wall on his floating sand barge. They circled the area below.

"There," Gaara said, pointing to a small rocky surface which protruded like a lonely isle in the sea of redness. "That's their hideout." He proclaimed.

"That's it," Shikamaru replied, unimpressed, looking down at the lonely boulder. "It's hardly big enough for me to sit on. How can that be a hideout?"

Gaara flew them down to the ground where the sand dissipated beneath their feet. "There. Do you see it? That metal that catches the sun, right below the shadow of the rock, on this side."

Shikamaru squinted and did indeed see the slight glint which caught the midday sun's light. "Yeah I see it." He said grimly, "Looks like a lever of some sort."

Temari grinned, "Looks like our way in." She amended as the three of them made their way towards the rocky island.

::

Kankuro began to moan and thrash.

"Keep him still!" Sakura ordered, as she increased the pain meds, to no effect.

"Damn Kankuro, he must have a tolerance built up for these, probably so that tranquilizers don't slow him down in battle." Sakura surmised.

"He's causing more damage. At this rate, we are useless." Exclaimed one of the medical assistants as they threw their bodies on top of their commander to keep him from causing the IV to come undone.

"That's it!" Ino cried and pulled up a chair to the side of the bed, "Sakura, I'm going in!"

"Ino, no! It's too dangerous. If he decides to code and you are inside, you may die too. It's too risky!" Sakura cautioned.

Ino pretended to not hear her friend's advice. She sat down on the chair and gripped Kankuro's hand in hers. Before Sakura to do anything, her friend was gone. Ino's body laid unconscious over Kankuro's torso. He instantly stilled.

"Okay, everyone, back to work," she cried. There was no reaching Ino now. Her friend had bought them more time, but at what cost. Would Ino know to get out in time? Sakura was only vaguely familiar with her friend's jutsu. She closed her eyes and prayed for Shikamaru and the others to come quickly.

::

"Where are we?" Kankuro asked. He sat in a round circular plush booth. He felt like he was on fire. His body was alive with pain.

"I think we are back at the Bachi." Ino replied, she leaned into him, and the uncomfortable sensations of the moments before seemed to melt away into nothing. His whole being once more relaxed.

He put his arms around her, holding her close. He could feel the satin coolness of her red dress and it slid against his bare chest. Her hair tinkled his nose and he inhaled its sweet fragrance.

"Ah," he said, resting his cheek on the top of her head. "This is nice, but why is it so quiet?"

"We must be on the fifth floor." She responded, nuzzling closer.

"Yeah, you know, I read that the walls here are buffered for sound control and that there's a controller that filters in as much or as little noise as you want."

"You don't say." He could feel Ino's face change into a smile, he tried to move her torso so that he could see if his guess was correct. Sure enough, she had on her wicked grin. The one that said that she knew something he didn't know.

"Hey, if you don't believe me, then I'm sure I can find it. Let me up and I'll find that controller to prove to you that I'm right." Kankuro began to squirm to rise to prove his point.

Ino laughed and turned in his arms so that she laid on top of him. This time her arms went around him and they were face to face.

"No, no, I believe you, truly. Just lie still just like this. I want you to be just like this." She rested her cool cheek on his bare chest. Kankuro closed his eyes. She felt so good next to him, but yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something. Something that he should remember.

"Shhh," Ino said softly, "I want to listen to your heartbeat." She held him closer and he felt the draw of sleep. His body relaxed and he embraced the coolness of her skin on his burning flesh.

::

Phew, Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow. It had been a tense few minutes, but it looked like Ino did it. Kankuro stabilized, his breathing became normalized, and his body seemed to quit fighting the pain killers.

Sakura patted Ino's lifeless shoulder and announced, "Alright, Ino, you can come out now."

There was no response. Sakura chewed on her bottom lip. She hesitated to try to wake Kankuro, especially after all the work that they had just went through to settle him down.

Well, Ino, I'll just have to trust that you know what you are doing, she thought. And then added, please just don't do anything stupid.

::

Shikamaru reached the lever. It silently moved forward, revealing a sandy stairwell that descended into the earth below.

Gaara's third eye and its owner took the lead, followed by Temari, and Shikamaru brought up the rear. Once they entered, Shikamaru pulled a matching lever which closed the rock face behind them. Temari lit a lantern that was perched on a slim shelf above and they descended into the shadowy darkness below.

The stairs ended onto a landing which appeared empty. There were two corridors ahead.

"Now what?" Shikamaru asked. Temari turned to give him a stern look and signaled him to be quiet with a finger to her lips. Gaara gestured to his third eye to enter one of the tunnels. They hunkered down to wait for the report.

It didn't take long for Gaara to gesture them forward and they followed. Shikamaru could clearly see light at the end of the tunnel which made him begin to feel more at ease. As a practitioner of shadows, light was a formidable ally.

They slowed as they came to the mouth of the lit cave and a voice beckoned them in.

"Come, Lord Gaara, no need to stand on ceremony. I've been waiting for you."

The three entered the room cautiously and spied Ninen Koi, lounging nonchalantly in a chair, surrounded by various lanterns and light sources. The cavern was filled with shadows from the many rock protrusions along the cavern ceiling.

"How do you like my lair, Shikamaru?" Ninen called out.

"Uh, it's a bit drafty." Shikamaru replied as he began to walk to Gaara's side. His eyes were surveying the many shadows, but his mind was racing towards the possibilities. In all honesty, it was like a spider's web for a shadow arts practitioner. Yet, somehow, he knew that Ninen drew him here along with Gaara and Temari. Why would he give his enemy the advantage? Shikamaru's mind quickly began to assess the possibilities.

"You are the one who murdered Toshi." Shikamaru concluded.

Ninen clapped from his seated position, "Very good! The Intel on that quick mind of yours looks to be accurate." He said.

Shikamaru's brow furrowed, "I still haven't worked out the how though. There is no way that you are one of our clan yet you obviously can use our jutsu."

"Right again, keep going, you might actually stumble on the answer. Doubtful, but please, take all the time in the world. I'm sure that your lovely girlfriend will thank you as her brother, Kankuro, lies on his deathbed. Tick tock, tick tock." Ninen said with a sly smile.

"What do you mean by that?!" Temari cried out, stepping into the light, her fan at the ready.

Ninen clapped, "Oh, I guess, no one has informed you that your brother is about to die. Well, for all I know, he might be dead already. Poisons, are such a tricky thing."

"Sakura won't let that happen." Shikamaru argued, "She probably has already made the antidote by now and administered it."

"Yes, she is good, isn't she, but kind of hard to cook when there isn't anything in the pantry." Ninen said, a knowing smile played on his face.

"Enough games, Ninen. Explain yourself," Gaara interrupted.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ninen rose swiftly to his feet, causing both Shikamaru and Temari to shift into defensive positions. "I plan to kill you, Gaara. Your brother was really a bonus. I am most sad about you, Temari. You see, unlike your father, the third Kazekage, I so detest killing women."

"My father?" Gaara questioned, his eyes watching Ninen like a hawk about to swoop down on its prey.

"I thought this was about breaking up the five nation alliance." Temari said.

"Oh, it is," Ninen assured her, "It most definitely is."

"I don't get it," Shikamaru said, cocking his head to one side. "Is this a personal vendetta or political?"

Ninen put his index finger to his lips and tilted his head slightly, as if he was thinking, and then replied, "I would say a lot of both. You see, for my clan, the two go hand and hand."

"Clan? What clan?" Gaara questioned.

"Oh, that would be jumping ahead and I so hate to do that. However, since none of you will be leaving here, I'll tell you. You see, this is not the first time that the five nations have united. Oh no, it was a well kept secret that neither of the sides would ever admit to, but my clan is well aware of the power they wield when united."

Shikamaru yawned, "I don't know what you are getting at. I've studied all the history texts. The five nations have never agreed on anything before the alliance."

"Yes, that is the definition of a 'well kept secret', my boy. Wouldn't exactly be well kept, it they wrote sonnets about it, now would it? Ask your dear Hokage about it, he would remember. It was one of the first times that he got to try out that accursed eye of his in battle."

A small swirl of sand began to take shape near Ninen's feet as he spoke. The sand halted in mid motion and he stepped out of its grasp, casually.

"Now, now, now, Gaara. Why so impatient? Oh yes, your dear, dear, sweet brother. You are right I should speak quicker if you are to save him. Though, frankly, I don't see how. You see, I selected this power for a reason.". Ninen lifted his hand and made a fist. The frozen sand collapsed into a pile of useless grains. The remnants of shadows departed.

"I so love this power."Ninen commended.

"How did you do that?"Shikamaru questioned incredulously.

"Well to be honest, I didn't, you did, my boy?" Ninen said, with a shrug.

"What?" Shikamaru uttered in confusion.

"When was the last time that you used your powers?" Ninen asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"That's ridiculous! I still have my ability." He reached out a hand to call upon the shadows in the room. The shadows around him began to form into a line but dissipated quickly. Shikamaru panted with the exertion. He stared down at his hand in disbelief.

Ninen laughed at the expression on the young man's face, "Yes, they always look so dumb founded when they find their abilities are lost."

"You stole my jutsu. How? When?" Shikamaru looked away, racking his brain for an answer, "That night at dinner. You came by our table. I shook your hand."

Ninen smiled broader, "You are a bright one."

"And you are a thief!" Shikamaru countered.

"The term is Syphoner. My clan was once the most feared in the land until they made the mistake of letting themselves be hired out by the five great ninja villages during the Third Great War. After the war ended, our jutsu was marked for extermination, deemed too dangerous to be allowed to continued. We had always maintained a mantra of peace which is why we refused to side with any of the nations and offered our services to all. In return, we were annihilated. Only a few of us children escaped the five nations wrath. We have lived in secret ever since. However, now we will not stay hidden any longer. We know firsthand what this alliance is capable of. My clan's vengeance is to ensure that the five nations never no peace. We will see you war, and tear each other apart, as you did to our clan so many years ago."

Ninen rose his hands up and the web was sprung. The shadow slivers took hold of Temari's legs lifting her high into the air. She was thrown back into the cave wall behind. Gaara's sand threw up a shield which resulted in larger heavier shadows to form, encasing him. Shikamaru jumped to the side to avoid the shadow tendrils and made his way quickly to Temari's unconscious form.

The shadows continued to wind their way around the sand dome until it was entirely encased in blackness.

"Hima, how long do you think it will take him to suffocate?". Ninen asked.

A woman stepped from the shadows, Shikamaru recognized her as Ninen's assistant who had gone with Kankuro.

Hima looked over at the encased dome and answered dispassionately, "At most a half hour, perhaps less."

Ninen collapsed into the chair once more, "Looks like I will need to sit this one out."

"So your plan was to frame me for Gaara's assassination, making it look like it was an order from the Hokage? However, why my ability? If you wanted Gaara dead, why not just steal his ability? You could have killed him with his own sand." Shikamaru questioned. He made his way over to Temari's still form.

"Syphoning doesn't work that way," Ninen said absently, panting. Shikamaru noted the build up of sweat on the man's face. If he could just keep him talking, Shikamaru thought, maybe he could break Ninen's hold on the shadow art and free Gaara. No one knew better than him, the strain it took to hold that jutsu in place. Meanwhile, he tried desperately to wake up Temari. He could really use that fan of hers about now.

"Then tell me how it does work. I want to know!" Shikamaru demanded.

"Hima, tell him and then kill him. It's time that we moved on from here, don't you think?" Ninen said through clenched teeth, the strain evident in his voice.

Hima approached the two shinobi cautiously, "Ninen couldn't take Gaara's powers because that gift was not humanly cellular."

Shikamaru shifted Temari up into his arms as the beautiful woman jumped down from one boulder to the next, coming towards them. Shikamaru felt Temari begin to stir in his arms.

He whispered urgently in her ear as he hoisted her up, "Come on, Temari, wake up!"

He had to keep this woman talking a little bit longer. He jumped to another rock with Temari in his arms and asked, "What do you mean? Gaara's gift is the same as mine, isn't it?"

"No, the gift to manipulate sand is foreign. It was bestowed on him when he melded with the Jinchuriki at birth. Therefore, he is immune to our persuasion. Our cells can emulate those of who we touch and in the process, we can halt their chakra flow to those particular cell types. Most don't even recognize that their skill is gone until they try to use it. It's a very subtle type of jutsu that we employ."

Shikamaru had reached the end of the path. They were enclosed into a shallow inlet at the back of the cave where there was no escape.

Hima smiled sadly, "I really am sorry that I have to do this. Please forgive me." She said, politely, and then slammed her fist into the rock wall next to her. The cracks instantly made there way to the top of the rock ceiling above Shikamaru's head. The ceiling collapsed amidst a ton of debris. Hima stood silently as the dust ballooned up.

As she turned to go back to Ninen, she heard the pile of rocks rumble and then spew forth. She rose her hands up defensively and heard a female voice proclaim, "Apology not accepted!"

Temari stood with her fan fully displayed, Shikamaru was crouched behind her.

::

Kankuro again felt like his body was on fire. Every nerve ending seemed to be firing in pain. He arched his back, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Hey, you, listen to the music. You are going to stomp on my toes, you know."

He looked down and found that Ino was in his arms and there was music. A steady beat that seemed to sound as if in rhythm with his heart. It was a rapid tempo that seemed to become less frantic as his eyes met the steady blue ones of his blonde partner.

"That's it," she smiled, bringing her body up close to his, "How about a slower beat?"

The music seemed to register her request. The tempo slowed to a steady beat that they kept time to. He twirled her this way and that, making her cry out in surprise. He knew that he was a pretty good dancer and liked showing off.

"Wow, Kankuro, I didn't realize that you had moves like these." Ino gasped, as he lowered her into a bend and then swept her back around in a breathtaking twirl.

"Yeah, I never got to show you, because Gaara got sick." Kankuro chuckled, swinging her out by the her fingertips and then curling her back towards him. Her body melted into his and he held her close. Remembering Gaara, made him suddenly look up and around. The pain shot through him causing him to arch backwards and he fell to the floor.

However instead of hitting the hard concrete, he landed softly in a bed. Ino was there holding a pillow in her tiny manicured hands. She wore a maniacal grin on her face and her soft cotton pink with white clouds pajamas. He remembered seeing them on the floor next to her bed when he had done her makeup the other night. Her hair was held up in its usual long ponytail. Her face was devoid of makeup. What was he doing here?

He felt the pillow connect soundly with his cheek and heard Ino's giggle as she jumped on the bed and said, "Got you!"

"Oh no, you don't! I'm the pillow throwing champ around here," he called and began to counter Ino's pillow strikes with those of his own. They tousled about until feathers flew all around them and Ino's slim figure laid across his body. He drew her close, kissing her softly.

He started to hear that vague annoying beat from the club. It was pounding in his head like a drum beat that couldn't be silenced.

He reached up both hands to grab the sides of his skull and screamed with the pain.

Sakura yelled, "He's coding! Ino, get out! Get out, right now!"

::

Hima faced off against the two shinobi. It took all the chakra that she had syphoned from Sakura to keep her feet planted to the rock as Temari's wind slashed through her. When it abated, she sent her chakra ladened fist into the ground, causing a fissure to erupt under Temari's feet. Temari tried to use her fan to float but the enclosed place did not allow for such maneuvers. She lost her footing and started to fall towards the deep crack that had opened in front of her.

Shikamaru instantly threw out his hand calling on his shadow art to grab her before she fell through. In his urgency, he forgot that his jutsu was not working. Surprisingly, the shadows responded. Not at the level he had become used to but enough that he was able to catch Temari by her hand and looped her back towards him.

As she careened backwards, Temari felt Shikamaru's arms cushion her fall.

"I see you got your jutsu back." She said with a half smile.

"Hey, you know what they say, can't keep a good man down." Shikamaru countered.

Temari gave a snort of approval, "Let's finish this and free Gaara."

"Yes, ma'am." Shikamaru replied. The two turned to face their adversary.

"She seems to fight like Sakura. You are her teammate. Any suggestions?" Temari asked Shikamaru.

"Don't get too close to her," he yelled as another fissure opened up at their feet, making them jump away.

"Yeah, I kind of guessed that." Temari humored. "I thought you were some strategic genius or something."

Shikamaru chuckled, again dodging another one of Hima's attacks. "Well, I figured that I didn't want to step on your toes, since you are the better fighter of the two of us."

Temari sent another blast of wind through the cave. This one sent Hima flying. Temari smirked, "Yeah, you do have a point. Maybe you should sit this one out and concentrate on finding a way to free Gaara."

Shikamaru chuckled, "I've already figured that one out." He said casually.

Temari risked a glance his way and found him sitting cross legged on a large rock, his hands steepled in concentration, surrounded by shadow arcs.

"I don't think that this is the right moment for playtime." Temari said, a smile playing on her lips.

Shikamaru met her gaze and answered with a smile of his own, "No, this is exactly the right moment. It's time for me to get my jutsu back. Buy me some time."

Temari nodded, "Will do."

Hima heard Ninen cry out. She turned and ran towards him. The shadows surrounding Gaara's sand tomb were receding, allowing much needed air to filter in through the pores in the sand.

"Ninen, what's happening?" Hima asked him.

"Blast, the jutsu is slipping. If only, I would have had this chance a few days ago." He let the shadows go all at once and turned suddenly towards the oncoming Temari. He reached out his hands and the shadows surrounded her neck, lifting her slightly off the ground. At the same time, shadows from the opposite side of the room took hold of Hima from behind, strangling her as well. Temari dropped her fan, and clawed desperately at her throat. Hima, likewise. Both women were struggling for breath.

"Drop hold of my sister," Ninen demanded.

"Sister?" Shikamaru echoed and then said, "Temari, first."

"Well, it would seem that we are at an impasse," Ninen said.

"You forgot about me." A gravelly voice called from Ninen's left. Gaara stood only meters away.

Ninen laughed, "Oh no, Kazekage, one would never forget about you." Ninen drew a small vial from his vest pocket and held it out quickly. The sand shaped hand hurling towards him was caught in another shadow hold.

"Let my sister go and I will give you this. It's the antidote to the poison rampaging through your brother's body." Ninen stood with both arms extended outwards.

"Why should we believe you?" Shikamaru countered.

"Unlike your forefathers, I am quite honorable. Also, remember I was on that podium next to Gaara. Do you think that I would not take extra precautions to ensure my own safety?"

Shikamaru hazarded a glance at Gaara. Gaara dropped his hand. His sand slithered back towards the container on his waist.

Shikamaru dropped his hand slowly as well. His shadows unfurled from Hima's throat. She dropped to the ground.

Ninen threw the vial towards Gaara, releasing his hold on Temari, and grabbed Hima. Then they teleported away. Gaara caught the vial with a floating cushion of sand before it could smash against the rock floor.

"We should try to follow them," Shikamaru said at once as he ran to Temari's side.

"Leave them. Temari, teleport this to Sakura." Gaara ordered, sending the vial over to her in a cushion of sand. Temari nodded and blinked away.

::

Kankuro felt cold. It was a blessing from the burning coals that he had felt lighting up his skin before. He shivered and felt arms envelope him from behind, the bare skin on his skin, sharing its warmth. He looked out and saw an incredible sunset over the desert landscape.

He and Ino were lying naked on a bed in the middle of a sand dune, not a sole in sight. A blanket enveloped them, shielding them from the dying sun's burning rays. He shivered once more, despite the warmth of Ino's body enfolding his and the sand below.

"The desert gets cold at night," he announced and then felt wetness land on his shoulders. He turned to find Ino's eyes filled with tears. Her blonde hair burned red with the setting sun. He shivered once more.

"Ino, why are you crying?" He asked softly, his teeth began to chatter.

She didn't answer and kissed him softly, passionately, instead, rolling him onto his back. He groaned with the feel of her on top of him. She felt so good, so right. Her warmth and that of the sands comforted him.

::

"We're losing him," the tech announced. Sakura fought her tears, her hand on Kankuro's chest willing it to start, to beat once more.

"Sakura, Sakura!" Temari cried, racing into the room, the vial in her hands. "Please say I'm not too late," she sobbed.

Sakura grabbed the vial from Temari's outstretched hand, twisted the needle on top and shoved it into the IV.

"Adrenaline, stat!" A syringe was shoved into her waiting hand. She plowed the needle into Kankuro's chest and checked the monitor, willing it to start once more. There was a beep, then another.

"Tell me what I can do," Temari demanded.

Sakura eyed her gleefully, "What's your blood type?" She asked.

::

Kankuro laid in the sand with Ino in his arms. His sleepiness turned to elation. The numbness that he felt before ebbed away into a newfound strength. He rolled her over on her back and kissed her passionately.

Ino giggled. "Looks like someone is back in the land of the living." She said between kisses.

Kankuro looked at her in surprise, "If you ask me, I would say that I just died and went to heaven."

He sat up, bringing her with him. He held her close, watching the last of the sun's rays on the horizon. He drew the blanket around them to keep in the heat.

He cleared his throat, "Ino, I want you to know that I love…"

"Shhh," her finger on his lips stopped his words, "It's time to sleep now. Sleep, my love."

"Why would…I …want…to do that?" Kankuro stifled a yawn. The sun's rays winked out and he drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

Ino laid for a minute or two more, listening to the excited voices surrounding her. She looked over at Sakura who gave her a weary smile in return.

"We did it. He'll pull through." Sakura assured her.

Ino smiled and felt tears of joy well up inside of her. She sobbed gratefully into the sheets, she finally let go of Kankuro's hand.

::

"I wish we could have stayed longer. I would have loved a tour of the Institute." Sakura said as she and Ino walked along. Her friend had been unusually quiet on the walk back to Konoha.

"You know, you could have stayed. These darts of mine were driving me crazy which is why I had to urgently make this trip back. Hopefully Niishi will know what to do to hush up their infernal chatter." Sakura said.

Cha, you only hear half of it, Inner complained.

"Hmmm, no, I needed to get back too. I need to get back to care for the flowers. I've been gone too long as it is." Ino replied quietly. She had been subdued since leaving the Suna village a few days ago.

"Yes, but I thought that you'd want to stay until Kankuro regained his consciousness. I'm sure he'll want to see you when he wakes up." Sakura said, carefully. It was the first time that she had dared to broach the subject. When she had announced that she needed to get back to the village to report to Kakashi in personal, as well as, hand over the four chakra draining darts to Niishi, she never dreamed that Ino would come back with her. She had been surprised by her friend's ready insistence on accompanying her back.

"Why? He's out of the woods. He just needs to regain his strength. He'll be back to his post in a week or so." She declared a bit too brightly, even for Ino.

"Yeah, but I thought you two.." Sakura began.

Ino cut her off, "Look, we had a good time. Nothing more. We're friends, Sakura, just friends. He needs to be with his family right now and his village." Ino said.

"Yeah, I guess," Sakura hedged. Ino had a point. The village had come out in spades. There were signs everywhere you looked wishing for his speedy recovery. The hospital had been inundated with blood donors, all eager to help save their Commander. It was clear how beloved Kankuro was in the village.

The two friends continued their journey in companionable silence. The gates of Konoha loomed ahead. The two girls grinned excitedly at the sight. There was something to be said about coming home to the village. No matter where they journeyed, there was no place like home. They quickened their steps, and began to laugh as they raced side by side to see who could pass through those hallowed gates first.

"You can't beat me, Ino pig!" Sakura cried, feeling her competitive spirit kick in.

"Hah, your big forehead, slows you down!" Ino countered, laughing when she heard Sakura growl.

The two made it through the gate in unison and collapsed breathless, holding each other up.

"I won!" They announced in unison and then began to laugh anew.

"Uh, Sakura, Miss Ino, I hate to intrude." A soft male voice beckoned from the side.

Ino and Sakura straightened up immediately. "Sai!" Sakura greeted in surprise, "What brings you here?" She asked, looking from him to Ino and back again.

Sai held a single red rose in his hand.

"He's been here everyday for the last three days waiting for Ino to show up," Kotetsu called out helpfully.

Sai reddened slightly but otherwise kept his gaze on Ino's face. He gave his patented fake smile and held the rose out to her.

Ino looked at it in surprise, "For me? Why?" Ino squeaked out.

"I read that a red rose was appropriate to indicate one's feelings for another." Sai said, formally.

Ino took the rose lovingly from his hand. She caressed the petals of the newly opening bud. "Yes, but I thought that yellow would be more your style." She said softly.

"Um, I think that I should go to see the Hokage as quickly as possible. So I think I'm going to go now." Sakura announced, although she was pretty sure that neither of her friends heard her. She turned and made her exit.

Sai stepped close to Ino, causing her eyes to look up from the flower she was holding. "Why would I choose yellow," he said, his face angled to one side curiously, "when red is the color for love?"

Ino's breath caught in her throat, "Love?" She said softly, looking into Sai's crinkling eyes.

"Miss Ino Yamanaka, I am officially announcing my intentions to woo you." He explained.

"Woo me?" Ino said, incredulously.

"Yes. I would like to start by taking you out to dinner to tonight. I have done my research and I know how you like to pick the establishment. So I await your orders, I am at your service." Sai bowed down in front of Ino, causing her to smile.

"Oh, Sai, I just don't know what to say." Ino replied truthfully. A week ago, she would have jumped on this opportunity but now, she felt like she was a whole different person. It was scary and not like her at all.

Sai smiled gently and took her hand gently in his, "You can start by saying yes."

Ino looked into his comforting gaze. It was warm and inviting. She looked down at her hand in his and smiled. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, but Sai didn't notice.

She squeezed his hand tightly and said, "yes"

 **The end of A Visit to the Sand.**

 **Thank you everyone who supported this story.**

 **If you enjoyed this story then keep reading. The next installment in the series is out Journey to the Land of Waves! Don't forget to follow/fave or send a review to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


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